The 2016 NBA Draft order is now set after Tuesday's lottery, and the NBA rumor mill around the teams drafting at the top is starting to heat up. That includes the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics. The latest rumor involving those two teams focuses on a potential trade involving Jahlil Okafor.
Bill Simmons, a noted die-hard Celtics fan, believes that the Celtics will trade the No. 3 overall pick to the 76ers in exchange for Okafor. This remains firmly in the rumor category for now, but here's what Simmons thinks.
"I think the guy they’re going to trade for is Okafor," Simmons told the “Toucher and Rich Show” on 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston. "If you think about it, it makes a ton of sense for Philly. They spend all these high lottery picks on big guys. Meanwhile, the league has gone small and you need perimeter guys to win in the NBA. If you put Ben Simmons with any of those guys, it doesn’t really make any sense."
Okafor was named to the NBA's All-Rookie team after averaging 17.7 points, 7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. He was the No. 3 overall pick in last year's draft out of Duke.
This isn't the first time Okafor-to-the-Celtics has been rumored, as the Celtics nearly swung a deal for Okafor before the trade deadline. Now that the Sixers know what they're getting with the Celtics' draft pick and already have plenty of bigs, perhaps a deal will end up getting done before or during the trade. For more NBA rumors, download the Chat Sports App!
Okafor would help the Celtics' front court, which lacks a dominant big man. The Sixers need more guard and swing man help, and they'd be able to get that with No. 3 overall pick.
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