If you thought the All-Star break might curtail Jahlil Okafor trade buzz, you were wrong.
While it seems like it's been a two-horse race for Okafor, there may be a mystery team or two looking to acquire the young big man's services.
"Additionally, there could be darkhorse teams involved in the pursuit of Okafor," Sean Deveney of the Sporting News said. "A source said that the Mavericks had previously inquired about Okafor, and could revisit those talks as the deadline nears."
Dallas is a new addition to the list of possible Okafor suitors. After a dreadful start to the season, the Mavericks still have a realistic shot at the eighth seed but could just as easily become a lottery team in the muddled Western Conference.
Okafor could make sense for Dallas. With offseason acquisition Andrew Bogut banged up for most of the season, the Mavericks have been using 38-year-old Dirk Nowitzki at center. Along with Harrison Barnes, Okafor could help start a youth movement while also helping Dallas forge a playoff push this season.
The question then becomes, what do the Mavericks have to offer? Their roster has a lot of miles on it. The only appealing players would be swingmen Wesley Matthews and Justin Anderson, and guard Seth Curry.
Philadelphia 76ers
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Matthews is an effective scorer from the wing and a strong outside shooter (39 percent for his career from three). He is also 29 and carries a hefty price tag. He signed a four-year, $70-million deal back in 2015. While the Sixers do have plenty of cap space to play with, they'd pay Matthews $17-million-plus the next two seasons and he'd be able to walk before they're truly able to compete.
Anderson would be an intriguing piece. The 21st overall pick in 2015 had a strong junior year at Virginia but has struggled with consistency in the NBA. He hasn't been able to get minutes in Dallas, and when he has, he hasn't capitalized. He could give the Sixers a young, long, athletic wing who at the very least has potential defensively. A first-round pick would have to accompany Anderson.
After shooting a ridiculous 45 percent from three on 111 attempts with the Kings last season, I thought the Sixers could target Curry this past offseason. They didn't, and he wound up signing a two-year deal with Dallas where he is shooting an only slightly-less ridiculous 42 percent from three on 226 attempts. Unlike Matthews, his price tag is low and he's only 26. The biggest knock on Curry is his size (six-foot-two) but if you're planning to play Ben Simmons at point guard, you can get away with Curry at the point. Putting a 42 percent three-point shooter on the floor with Simmons and Joel Embiid would make a ton of sense. Again, a first-round pick would also be needed.
New Orleans still remains a possible trade partner. Deveney cites Okafor's age (21) as being more appealing over other options like veteran big men Robin Lopez of the Nets and former Sixer/current Magic center Nikola Vucevic.
He said that the sticking point remains the Pelicans reluctance to give up an unprotected pick. New Orleans finds itself only 2 1/2 games behind Denver for the West's eighth seed. Like Dallas, the Pelicans could easily find themselves in the draft lottery with a rough finish to the season.
Deveney mentions Chicago as a possibility, but said the Bulls might not have enough to acquire the Chicago native.
For his part, Okafor has handled the trade rumors superbly. Even after being held out of two games while a trade seemed imminent, Okafor acted like a professional and continues to do so.
"I'm just going to control what I can control, and as far as I know I'm still a Sixer, and I'm happy to be a Sixer," he said. "I'll keep working every day. My teammates are there for me. The outside noise doesn't bother me. I don't worry about it."
