Report: Sixers shopping Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel
The Process is officially over.
The Philadelphia 76ers will explore trades involving both Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel before the upcoming NBA draft, sources tell Marc Stein and Chad Ford of ESPN.
Stein and Ford add that it's increasingly likely that under new general manager Bryan Colangelo, the Sixers will move at least one of Okafor or Noel leading up to, or in conjunction with the NBA Draft set to take place June 23.
The Sixers hold the first overall pick and are expected to draft either Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram.
Colangelo carries a reputation for being one of the most aggressive GMs in the league in terms of making roster moves, and the pairing of Noel and Okafor - although promising - struggled when they shared the court.
The 22-year-old Noel was the sixth overall pick of the 2013 draft. He sat out his first season while recovering from an ACL injury before regaining his health and showing tremendous promise as an elite defender. He struggled, however, on offense outside of basic pick-and-roll action.
Noel averaged 11.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 52.1 percent from the field last season.
Okafor, meanwhile, is coming off a difficult rookie campaign that included brush-ins with the law and knee injuries. When he managed to stay on the court, he proved himself to be a dominant low-post scorer, putting up 17.5 points and seven rebounds on 50.8 percent shooting.
The Sixers passed up on Kristaps Porzingis and used the third overall pick last year to draft the 20-year-old Okafor.