The Philadelphia 76ers could look at a Joel Embiid trade or a Nerlens Noel deal in the future after the defat pick of Jahlil Okafor, as forward Dario Saric will join the team next year and that could be one big man too many for the Sixers and this comes as Okafor was impressive in his pro debut in the NBA Summer League for Philly.
Sam Hinkie has been overseeing a huge rebuild in Philadelphia and while the team has been terrible, they have a ton of talent on the roster. The team drafted Okafor with the number three overall pick and now Hinkie has some ammo if he wants to make a deal this year or next summer. Embiid may not even be able to play for the second straight season and that development will likely dictate what the Sixers do with their bigs.
According to 76ers beat writer Tom Moore, Hinkie said that the team would "do a lot of experimenting" with their three center/forwards in Noel, Okafor and Embiid this season. Embiid's status is up in the air for now, as the Philly Burbs/Intelligencer reports that the team "should" have an answer on Embiid's health in about a month. Embiid was the third overall pick last year and he dealt with a foot injury and now that injury could keep him out for this season as well. Embiid reportedly is at the summer league mini-camp for the Sixers, but he is not on the roster
If Embiid needs to get another surgery on his foot, it likely keeps him out for another season and pus his long term future in question. Hinkie will likely consider any and all trade this year apart from deals for Okafor, as he looks like he could be a successful pro. Okafor is playing in the Summer League and he reportedly looked good in his debut, putting up 20 points and nine rebounds with two blocks against the Spurs. Okafor needs to work on his defense the most and the summer league should give him a chance to get started on improving that aspect of his game.
The team has considered trading Noel in the past and now could be a good time, as his value is fairly high heading into this season. Noel missed his first season with an injury and he ended up with the Sixers after Philly traded Jrue Holiday to the Pelicans. Noel was strong last year while averaging nearly 10 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Noel reportedly was shopped by the Sixers this summer, as Jake Fischer of SI reported that the team had an offer from the Celtics that involved Noel. Those talks did not come close to leading to a deal and reportedly involved Marcus Smart and picks.
According to Tom Moore, the Sixers are expecting to bring over draft pick Dario Saric next year from Turkey. According to ESPN.com, Saric and the Sixers were interested in having the forward come over this season, but he does not have an opt-out clause in his deal. The Sixers reportedly started talking to Saric's Turkish team about getting him out of his contract, but soon after it was reported that a deal will not be happening this season.
Check here for more on the Noel trade, the news about Saric and for more on Okafor and his pro debut.