The Celtics have proclaimed pretty loudly that they're still looking to make a big-time move. They landed Al Horford in free agency but are clearly looking to get into the super-team game. Jimmy Butler was a widely-rumored target though indications are that Chicago took him off the board for good on draft night. The other name that has most often been rumored with regards to a Celtics trade is Philadelphia 76ers sophomore center Jahlil Okafor.
We wrote about why these Okafor rumors keep popping up all over the place earlier this week, but now Philly.com reports that Celtics "will not give up much" for the 6-11 center.
Word out of Boston is that the Celtics will not give up much for the 6-foot-11, 257-pounder.They have concerns about his playing in the city after being involved in two street fights there in the early hours of Thanksgiving morning. Nor do they like the fact that the center saw a gun pointed at his head in Old City and that he was stopped for going 108 mph over the Ben Franklin Bridge.
Source: Okafor to Boston not a good deal for Sixers.
This, more than anything else, is why the Sixers should send all of Celtics GM Danny Ainge's emails to voicemail. It's not that the Celtics don't want Okafor. They do --they've been in pursuit of him for months-- but the Celtics are, even more than most teams, looking to get their trade target for a steal. Boston will want to acquire Okafor while trying to likely keep their possession of the Nets' 2017 (in pick-swap) and 2018 unprotected first-round picks, Jae Crowder and Isaiah Thomas, if not Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart as well.
You can make the argument, convincingly, that Okafor's not worth top value. The concerns with Okafor defensively are very real. He's slow-footed with low athleticism, so he's just unlikely to ever be a plus-rim protector and will be a liability in pick and rolls. (It should be noted there are ways to cover for players of his profile defensively; Steve Clifford has done this for years in Charlotte.)
The character issue concerns are more complicated. They could be the product of Okafor being 19 in an unstructured locker room in Philadelphia, or they could be a precursor to an ongoing problem. Sussing out the difference is as complex as it is impossible to predict.
But Okafor's talent necessitates a certain return and there are still many people league-wide who believe that Okafor's established post scoring, basketball IQ and size mean that a great career lies in wait. Even beyond that, his value to the Sixers as a former No. 3 overall pick means that they can't afford to just drop him if he's not a complete, Anthony Bennett-level bust.
Teams' circumstances change quickly. Even if the Sixers can't find another willing trade partner now, that could change in six months' time.
What they do know is that dealing with Boston for a trade will be like squeezing blood from stone. The Sixers would be wise to keep their talks off the line with Beantown.
