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NBA Trade Rumors: Best Landing Spots For Jahlil Okafor

By Maxwell Ogden

Jan 4, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor (8) juggles the ball before shooting against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The 76ers won 109-99. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 4, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor (8) juggles the ball before shooting against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The 76ers won 109-99. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Philadelphia 76ers big man Jahlil Okafor is reportedly on the trading block. Which NBA team could provide him with the structure he needs to be successful?

Jan 4, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor (8) juggles the ball before shooting against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The 76ers won 109-99. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 4, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor (8) juggles the ball before shooting against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The 76ers won 109-99. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

What may be surprising is whom the 76ers reportedly intend to move in order to facilitate that vision.

The 76ers have four high-caliber projects at two positions: power forward and center. Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor are traditional centers, while Nerlens Noel is an athletic defensive big man, and Dario Saric is a modern floor-spacer.

According to Marc Stein and Chad Ford of ESPN, the 76ers are open to the idea of trading Okafor.

"Sources told ESPN that the Sixers are determined to gauge the trade market for both Okafor and Noel and are increasingly likely to move at least one of them in conjunction with the draft, in which Philadelphia holds the No. 1 overall selection for the first time since selecting Allen Iverson in 1996. In recent weeks, rival executives have been forecasting Philadelphia to be one of the most active teams this offseason in terms of pursuing trades, with new personnel boss Bryan Colangelo known to be aggressive and openly determined to speed Philadelphia’s return to playoff contention."

The news broke mere days after Okafor was named to the 2016 All-Rookie First Team.

All things considered, Okafor had an incredibly impressive rookie season. He averaged 17.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.3 offensive boards, 1.2 assists, and 1.2 blocks in just 30.0 minutes of action.

Okafor finished 2015-16 at No. 2 amongst rookies in scoring, No. 3 in rebounding, No. 2 in offensive rebounds per game, and No. 4 in blocks.

From an all-time perspective, Basketball-Reference.com reports that Okafor is one of five rookies to average at least 17.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.0 block over the past 20 seasons. The other four players: Karl-Anthony Towns, Pau Gasol, Elton Brand, and Tim Duncan.

The question is, which team can best help Okafor live up to his realistic star potential?

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