Rookie Jahlil Okafor has shown promise, but many feel that he won't shine in Philadelphia due to a crowded frontline.
Remember that aside from the rookie, Nerlens Noel and the soon-to-debut Joel Embiid will be there to crowd him. The Sixers tried to play both Noel and Okafor together with one sliding down to the power forward position, but things didn't really turn out well.
Hence, one of the three will likely go, but only Okafor and Noel are bound to gain interest.
Okafor could be someone gaining a lot of interest mainly because he can continue to improve if a team bent on developing him comes.
Fansided suggests that a trade with Portland Trail Blazer C.J. McCollum could be a possibility. Talent-wise, Okafor exceeds that of McCollum, but the money matters come into play. McCollum will be playing his last season on a bargain deal with the Blazers, while Okafor still has three years to go on his rookie contract.
Doing the math, the Sixers are unlikely to bite since they want to save their money (and salary budget) for someone worth having and, of course, staying with them for a long while.
If McCollum is not traded, the Blazers could likely keep him and sign him to a long-term deal after his current one is up.
For Okafor, trades for the big man can still materialize. The Sixers will deny it but the reality of it all is that they do have a cramped frontline with players filling up similar positions. It just doesn't add up if the Sixers want to do away with the whipping boy tag.
From now until the Feb. 18 deadline, anything can still happen. If nothing happens by then, it could materialize by the end of the season.
There are teams out there keeping an eye on Okafor and surely the rookie wants to play for a team that has ambitions to at least make the NBA playoffs.
