The Philadelphia 76ers are continuing to work the phones to find a potential trade partner for Jahlil Okafor, but in the meantime, the second-year center has been left flapping in the breeze.
With a trade seemingly on the horizon, the Sixers have been holding Okafor out of action, likely to prevent him from getting injured. He did not travel with the team for its upcoming two-game road trip that will lead into the All-Star break, and head coach Brett Brown said management has been very open and upfront about what's going on.
"Jahlil Okafor's situation is transparent," Brown told reporters after shootaround in Charlotte on Monday, according to CSN's Jessica Camerato. "He's in the middle of being discussed in trade scenarios. So I felt that it complicates things to play him the last game, and now clearly this is continuing on. That's the reason he isn't here. ...
"It isn't completely structured. His life is right now up in the air a little bit. We're mindful of that, we're respectful of that. We'll progress as it unfolds."
While it would seem the Sixers have passed the point of no return when it comes to trading Okafor, Brown insisted there's no animosity between the player and team, and that Philadelphia would be happy to keep him if no palatable agreement is reached.
"He'll come back in and he will be welcomed with open arms with teammates that like him and respect him," Brown said. "They are friends. He'll come back into a coaching staff that likes him and respects him because we care for him. He still is ours until somebody tells us he isn't."
