Philadelphia 76ers Trade Rumors: Team Shopping Around Nerlens Noel, to Keep Jahlil Okafor

By Carlo Monzon
Nerlens Noel
Photo of Nerlens Noel Flickr / Bryan Horowitz

Trade rumors have once again started surrounding the Philadelphia 76ers after it was revealed that the team prefers to keep Jahlil Okafor instead of Nerlens Noel. Given the team's current lineup, trading Noel is certainly the best move for the 76ers.

Since the offseason, rumors about a trade involving Philadelphia have been rampant after team manager and president Bryan Colangelo admitted that the franchise is currently facing a surplus of big men. This narrowed down the trade speculations to Noel and Okafor.

But, as recently noted by NBA insider Steve Kyler, the 76ers are not planning on moving Okafor. Instead, they prefer trading Noel.

Although some would probably say that Noel is a better fit with the team than Okafor, the decision to trade the former would probably come from a business standpoint. For one, Noel is currently on his last year with the team, as stated by his contract. That means he will become a free agent in the upcoming offseason.

Of course, for the 76ers, it would be more logical and beneficial to trade away a soon-to-be free agent than lose him without getting anything in return, Bleacher Report noted.

In addition, the Philadelphia franchise has a deep bench for the power forward post, as opposed to the center position which is only currently occupied by Joel Embiid and Okafor.

Dario Saric is currently leading the power forward bench. They also have Richaun Holmes and Ersan Ilyasova. Aside from these athletes, the 76ers also have Ben Simmons, the No. 1 overall pick during the 2016 NBA draft.

Although Simmons is current injured and is not expected to return for a couple of months, he is still a budding talented athlete who could easily become the team's starting power forward someday.

Given the number of talent the 76ers have in this position, they certainly have the leeway to part ways with Noel. In return, they could ask for a new guard, which the team is currently lacking.

As for the possible landing spot for Noel, the 76ers could engage in a trade deal with the Toronto Raptors. According to Hoops Habit, this team became interested in getting Noel after they lost Bismack Byimbo to free agency.

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