Jahlil Okafor has gone from a top prospect to a seemingly unwanted player in short time.
The Philadelphia 76ers selected Okafor with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, but the big man hasn’t turned into the player most thought he would be coming out of Duke.
The 76ers reportedly have been shopping Okafor for quite some time but to no avail. As a result, Philly’s current asking price pales in comparison to what it started at, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
“(Bryan) Colangelo’s asking price has steadily dropped for Okafor, from two first-round picks to a first and a solid player to where it stands now, a second-round pick, league sources said,” Wojnarowski writes. “As for the politics of giving up on the No. 3 overall pick, remember: Colangelo didn’t select Okafor over Kristaps Porzingis in the 2015 draft — his predecessor, Sam Hinkie, did.”
To a team in need of a big man, this could a be a low-risk, high-reward move. At 21 years old, Okafor still is far too young to give up on and he might just need a change of scenery to become a productive player.
But as of now, it’s clear Okafor isn’t a part of the 76ers’ future plans. He’s only appeared in two games this season and hasn’t seen game action since Nov. 7.
