So Jahlil Okafor is back with the Sixers and available to play tonight (see story).
The trade that appeared imminent - when's the last time a player received a DNP, let alone multiple, because of "trade rumors," as Brett Brown put it? - now appears anything but.
Maybe the Sixers are back at square one, maybe they're not. Either way, are we any closer to figuring out if the Sixers will actually get a decent return for a player who not even two years ago was drafted third overall and at one point was the considered the top overall pick?
The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor has his answer:
"No one is buying what Bryan Colangelo is selling: a one-dimensional center who can't defend, rebound, or pass on a roster loaded with big men," O'Connor writes.
And that's the reason for Okafor's brief vacation. The Sixers are looking for more buyers.
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"The shelving of Okafor was likely meant to flush out the best offers around the league, sources speculate," O'Connor wrote. "It's not uncommon for teams to use leaks to stir interest."
They're looking for more buyers because there has been only one deal on the table from the start. Forget the Nuggets, Blazers and Bulls. The team the Sixers are dealing with is the Pelicans, and negotiations are "stuck in gridlock" because the Sixers don't want to inherit a bloated contract (namely Alexis Ajinca's).
So now Okafor is back, and the Sixers will resume showcasing him. They sat him one game after he had 20 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in 25 minutes against the Spurs. The next night, in a win over Orlando, he had seven points on 3 of 8 shooting and two rebounds in 22 minutes.
Maybe the shelving started one game too late.
