Rumors are out that the Philadelphia 76ers are set to trade either one of their young big men, Jahlil Okafor or Nerlens Noel, before the new season begins with the Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns emerging as the top trade partners.
The Sixers are reportedly trying to avoid a potential logjam in their frontcourt after drafting LSU's Ben Simmons as the top pick of the recent draft and the debut of 2014's third overall pick, 7-foot center Joel Embiid.
The arrival of Croatian power forward Dario Saric this summer further complicates Philly's big man rotation and so the team could be forced to trade either Okafor or Noel to address the potential problem as early as possible, according to Inquisitr.
With the imminent predicament, speculations abound that the Celtics and Suns are preparing to submit their offers for either of the two young bigs.
The report mentioned that the Celtics want "another star level talent to group with (starting point guard) Isaiah Thomas and (new acquisition) Al Horford" to complete their own version of a Big Three in the slowly getting competitive Eastern Conference.
Boston had been linked with Okafor ever since free-agency period began last month, but a potential move is rumored to be stalled by the 17-time NBA champion franchise's desire to "win a trade versus consummate one".
Earlier reports said that a trade that would have sent Okafor to the Celtics in exchange for point guard Marcus Smart, another unnamed player, and a few draft picks were turned down by Philadelphia as analysts accused them of overvaluing their bigs.
Another team that is in need of frontcourt players is Phoenix. Their starting power forward is rookie Marquese Chriss with the backup another rookie in Dragan Bender, so the number four spot is clearly open.
The Suns are said to be targeting Noel and would be willing to part ways with either Eric Bledsoe or Brandon Knight, which would fill an urgent need in the point guard position for Philly.
Such deal would have been perfect for the Sixers, but they are reportedly more inclined to keep Noel than Okafor.
Meanwhile, Fansided suggested that Philadelphia "may have to wait" a little longer before they can trade either Okafor or Noel.
The article said that Sixers president and general manager Bryan Colangelo is "overvaluing the big men now so that they don't get cheated on a deal", which makes the market for the two players smaller than it actually is.
Okafor and Noel are still undeveloped, young big men and that makes other teams hesitate in risking their assets to acquire any of them.
