Trade rumors involving sophomore center Jahlil Okafor had been commonplace these days as the Philadelphia 76ers continue to try to come up with a decision on which one in their surplus of young front court players are they going to trade before the new season begins this October.
One suggested trade scenario that has been swirling around these days is a potential deal with the Dallas Mavericks, sending Okafor to the perennial Western Conference postseason contenders in exchange for Seth Curry, Quincy Acy, and a number of future draft picks, as per Fansided.
The article suggested that Curry would be a "good perimeter player to play" alongside this year's no. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons in Philly after the brother of the NBA's only unanimous MVP so far had shown "plenty of potential" with the Kings last season.
Curry decided to opt out of his contract in Sacramento this summer, initially making him a restricted free agent. The Kings then presented Curry with a qualifying offer in late June that was withdrawn after a week, which then made him an unrestricted free agent come the July free-agency period. Eventually, Curry decided to sign with the Mavericks on a two-year, $6 million deal.
However, in the interest of fair play, the Mavs must add more players and pieces to successfully acquire Okafor, which is why it was suggested that Acy, a future unprotected first round draft pick, and two future second round picks should be included in the package for last season's third overall selection.
Meanwhile, speculations still abound that Philadelphia is close to deciding which one between Okafor and Nerlens Noel will be traded before the upcoming season.
The Sixers have an impending logjam at their frontcourt lineup with Joel Embiid finally ready to play and the addition of Simmons and Dario Saric this summer. Head coach Brett Brown is rumored to be favoring Noel to stay because of his energy and defense and so Okafor is slowly becoming the odd-man out.
Hoops Habit indicated that aside from the Dallas trade, another option for Philly is to trade Okafor to his hometown squad, the Chicago Bulls. The 20-year-old Okafor was born in Chicago and played at Whitney Young during his high school days.
The problem, though, is the Bulls' do not have enough assets to offer in return for Okafor. The latest names mentioned with regards to potential Chicago trades are Doug McDermott, Bobby Portis, and rookie Denzel Valentine, but it may not be sufficient to earn Philadelphia's approval.
