The Philadelphia 76ers could be a target for a Brendan Haywood trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers and this comes as the team is hoping that draft pick Jahlil Okafor can start after losing Joel Embiid to an injury, as the big man broke the same bone in his right foot and this comes as the Sixers are looking at Norris Cole as a free agent option.
The Sixers took Okafor with the third overall pick and while some thought Okafor could be traded because of the presence of Embiid and Nerlens Noel in Philadelphia, GM Sam Hinkie did not go down that road. Okafor now likely will get the chance to start, as the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Embiid will likely miss a second straight season with a broken foot. The report says that Embiid is undergoing surgery soon and that the big man "re-broke the navicular bone in his right foot."
According to ESPN.com, Brian Windhorst reported that the Cleveland Cavaliers are looking to trade Brendan Haywood and the Sixers could be a potential landing spot. The Sixers and Blazers have enough cap space to take on the contract and those teams are the focus for the Cavaliers now. Haywood could get moved this week as the Cavs try and sign back Matthew Dellavedova and JR Smith.
Hinkie said earlier in the month that Embiid will have surgery soon and that the expectation is that Embiid will be "missing the upcoming season." The Sixers also have Nerlens Noel in the front court and they likely will pair him with Okafor with Embiid out. The injury puts Embiid's future firmly in question, as the injury is hard to come back from and this is the second time that he is dealing with it. Embiid did not play at all as a rookie and now it's nearly guaranteed that he will not suit up this year either.
Noel had a solid season last year after missing his rookie year with an injury and now Okafor will join the mix for the Sixers. Okafor said in an interview with the Washington Post that he is "ready" to be one of the franchise players for the Sixers. Most scouts said that Okafor needed to work on his rebounding and defense coming into the NBA, with offense being his biggest strength coming out of Duke. Okafor likely will start and he comes in after putting up some solid performances in the Summer League for the Sixers.
The team has been fairly active this offseason, adding Nik Stauskas in a trade and signing Pierre Jackson to a free agent deal. The team previously drafted Jackson and later traded him to the Pelicans and now he is back on a four year contract. Jackson announced the news about the deal on social media and according to Keith Pompey, the deal is partially guaranteed and has $750,000 guaranteed for the first season of the deal. Jackson could be a contributing player if he stays healthy, as the Sixers have Tony Wroten and Isaiah Canaan ahead of him on the depth chart right now.
Check here for more on the Brendan Haywood trade, Joel Embiid injury and for more on the Philadelphia 76ers offseason moves.
