The Philadelphia 76ers made the first substantial trade of the current NBA season. They sent Jahill Okafor, Nik Stauskas and a second-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Trevor Booker.
One could say both teams come out as winners in this deal. Booker will add some much-needed muscle in the paint for the Sixers, as well as another valuable big body off the bench. And Stauskas will be able to earn a significant role in Brooklyn’s rotation due to his ability as a spot-up shooter on the perimeter.
The real winner, however, is Okafor. The former lottery pick never settled in Philadelphia, and couldn’t adjust to playing with another talented big man. He struggled alongside Nerlens Noel. He couldn’t fit with Joel Embiid. And when he was asked to play as a power forward, he simply couldn’t – or perhaps wouldn’t? – commit to doing it. He slowly faded away from the Sixers’ rotation last year and wasn’t a part of the team in the current campaign.
But now Okafor will have the chance to start from scratch with a new team. One that will allow him to play through his mistakes, and one that will permit him to mature as a player on the court. It’s not like the Sixers didn’t want that to happen. But the team is in a different place right now. With Embiid, Ben Simmons and J.J. Redick leading the way, the Sixers quickly went from a laughter to a playoff contender in only a few months. And believe me when I say this – they are going to be SCARY GOOD once their young players mature.
Philadelphia just didn’t have space for someone like Okafor. But instead, the Nets definitively need someone like him. They can use Okafor as a second young star who simply needed a change of scenery, as it happened with D’Angelo Russell. The point guard left Los Angeles Lakers and many believed he wasn’t good enough to be a starter in the NBA, but he thrived in Brooklyn before suffering a serious injury. If anything, Okafor’s presence will give the Nets fans something to be hopeful in the future.
At the very least, Okafor can be a serviceable big man to come off the bench. But if he matures and reaches his ceiling, he could very well be one of the best offensive big men in the league. He has the moves to become one, he just needed the playing time and a place where he could feel safe. Philadelphia wasn’t that kind of environment anymore, but Brooklyn should be.
Without a doubt, this was a great move for Brooklyn.