Should the Sixers Have Traded Okafor for the Nets Pick?

As a quirky Sixers fan, I get excited at the trade deadline. Most fans of other teams get excited for their team to make a deal that could help them contend for a title or to. Let’s take Boston for instance. The Celtics are that one star player away from being able to challenge Cleveland in the East. Myself on the other hand, I get amp’d up for second round picks. I Just find it very interesting the way Hinkie will fit himself into three team trades each year, take on terrible contracts, and get some extra picks. The Sixers almost got themselves that extra second round pick, but that trade has been vetoed. However, that is not the (almost) trade that got most of the attention. The trades that got the most spotlight were the ones that involved Jahlil Okafor and the Nets pick, and the one that involved Dennis Schröder.

Let’s start with the trade that was supposedly offered to the Sixers by the Celtics, Jahlil Okafor for the Brooklyn Nets’ first-round pick from Boston. Would I have done this trade? I would have, but not at the trade deadline. As of right now, the Nets have the fourth worst record in the NBA. So let’s just say after the lottery the Nets do end up number 4. In that scenario I would not trade. Now if the Nets pick were to fall in the top 2, I would pull the trigger, but I am not sure that the Celtics would still be willing to. To me, Jahlil Okafor is only worth trading if I am getting Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram in return. I still want to see Okafor in the off-the-bench scorer who gets me 16-20 points a night while giving Nerlens Noel or Joel Embiid a break. But if I had the chance to have a starting lineup of Ish Smith , Nik Stauskas , Ingram, Simmons, and Embiid, I would much rather have that. In that scenario, the Sixers would also have Robert Covington , Noel, and Dario Saric coming off the bench. That is a solid core right there. So for now, I am glad the Sixers held off on doing this trade. The risk of having the Nets pick be 4th, 5th , or 6th far outweighs the reward.

The other trade, that gave me a conniption, involved the Sixers trading Nik Stauskas , a first-rounder (not their own), and a filler player, for Dennis Schröder. I like Dennis Schröder but this is just not a good deal. Schröder is scheduled to be a free-agent this season, and with the way he is playing, plus the increase in salary cap, he will get one of the most cringe-worthy contracts of all-time. With the situation the Sixers are currently in, this is just not a smart deal to make. So I would like to thank God, and the Hawks’ front-office for not wanting to do this deal.

With over half of the season over, and a team with quite a few players who can’t even drink yet (legally). It would be silly to make any rash decisions. That is, unless you are presented with an offer that is impossible to pass up. With the Sixers three games “up” on the Lakers for the best odds at the number one pick, it is best to keep it safe. Well… until the off-season.