Jahlil Okafor May Be On His Way to New Orleans

[Moranis]

If okafor is not traded tonight this is super awkward

Yes. Yes it is.

But thank god the Sixers got a competent GM to improve relationships. This guy is a basketball person who knows how to deal with people!

 

I do remember a few times where players were told they were traded and then had to go back to the team that traded them for various reasons. The most prolific incident of this was the vetoed Chris Paul deal that led o the the beginning of the downfall of Lamar Odom's career. More recently I believe montejunas was traded to the pistons but someone failed a physical.

However, I honestly can't remember a time a player was pulled right before tipoff (like Okafor 2 games ago) and then not taken on the team plane while a trade was negotiated. Some may say this was similar to Bogans, but having an irrelevant 33 year old backup that can't contribute if he is healthy stay away is a lot different than having a 20 year that can at least contribute with some fouls and potential offense off the bench stay away (who also has publicly been a good soldier).

It is possible there is a legit reason for this delay (e.g someone failed a physical initially and needs a second opinion, some weird salary cap impact etc), however it feels really really weird. What do we think is happening?

The Sixers are asking for more than the teams are willing to play, but the Sixers obviously think said teams are going to cave and give them what they want in the very near future. 

[The One]

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/does-jahlil-okafor-have-a-place-in-todays-nba/

I wanted him too...but...does he even have a place in the NBA anymore?

[celticsclay]

These comments from Van Gundy kind of spell out how unusual this situation has become:

"TORONTO — Stan Van Gundy has seen a lot in his years as an NBA head coach with three different franchises.
But he has never gone through the current situation playing out with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Second-year center Jahlil Okafor, the third pick in the 2015 draft, appears to be on the move.
He did not play for the 76ers on Saturday night against the Miami Heat with several reports saying the team is engaging in talks with multiple teams centered on Okafor.
That’s a decision the Detroit Pistons coach has never had to make.
"I haven’t, but then again, in my time as a head coach, I’ve never had to hold a guy for trade rumors or imminent trades or anything like that," Van Gundy said Sunday before the Pistons faced the Toronto Raptors.
"We’ve either made the deal or not made the deal. I’ve had times where we’ve had a walk-through in the morning with one team, made the trade and had to call guys."

If you are a fellow GM, why would you meet the 76ers demands now? This is just becoming a disaster for them.

[ImShakHeIsShaq]

If okafor is not traded tonight this is super awkward

Yes. Yes it is.

But thank god the Sixers got a competent GM to improve relationships. This guy is a basketball person who knows how to deal with people!

 

I do remember a few times where players were told they were traded and then had to go back to the team that traded them for various reasons. The most prolific incident of this was the vetoed Chris Paul deal that led o the the beginning of the downfall of Lamar Odom's career. More recently I believe montejunas was traded to the pistons but someone failed a physical.

However, I honestly can't remember a time a player was pulled right before tipoff (like Okafor 2 games ago) and then not taken on the team plane while a trade was negotiated. Some may say this was similar to Bogans, but having an irrelevant 33 year old backup that can't contribute if he is healthy stay away is a lot different than having a 20 year that can at least contribute with some fouls and potential offense off the bench stay away (who also has publicly been a good soldier).

It is possible there is a legit reason for this delay (e.g someone failed a physical initially and needs a second opinion, some weird salary cap impact etc), however it feels really really weird. What do we think is happening?

DA did it to Ray Allen. He wasn't pulled from the lineup though. I really don't know how it went down, I wasn't a Celtics fan at the time.

[celticsclay]

If okafor is not traded tonight this is super awkward

Yes. Yes it is.

But thank god the Sixers got a competent GM to improve relationships. This guy is a basketball person who knows how to deal with people!

 

I do remember a few times where players were told they were traded and then had to go back to the team that traded them for various reasons. The most prolific incident of this was the vetoed Chris Paul deal that led o the the beginning of the downfall of Lamar Odom's career. More recently I believe montejunas was traded to the pistons but someone failed a physical.

However, I honestly can't remember a time a player was pulled right before tipoff (like Okafor 2 games ago) and then not taken on the team plane while a trade was negotiated. Some may say this was similar to Bogans, but having an irrelevant 33 year old backup that can't contribute if he is healthy stay away is a lot different than having a 20 year that can at least contribute with some fouls and potential offense off the bench stay away (who also has publicly been a good soldier).

It is possible there is a legit reason for this delay (e.g someone failed a physical initially and needs a second opinion, some weird salary cap impact etc), however it feels really really weird. What do we think is happening?

DA did it to Ray Allen. He wasn't pulled from the lineup though. I really don't know how it went down, I wasn't a Celtics fan at the time.

Yea. While that probably was ideal for Ray Allen that kind of situation is a lot more common. I have not heard anyone ever come up with a situation where a guy was held out multiple games and not taken on the team plane for an "imminent trade" that is now going on 70+ hours.