It's Halloween and third-year center Jahlil Okafor is still waiting to hear whether his immediate future with the Philadelphia 76ers will be a trick or treat.
While the Sixers are reportedly set to pick up the fourth-year option on wing Justin Anderson, the team has yet to commit to a fourth year for former No. 3 pick Okafor, according to NBA.com's David Aldridge.
Oct. 31 is the deadline for teams to pick up next season's third- or fourth-year team options for players on rookie-scale contracts. If the Sixers decide not to pick up Okafor's option for the 2018-19 season, he will become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Okafor, who had garnered consideration in some corners as the top amateur prospect in the 2015 draft, has had a rocky tenure in Philadelphia since capturing All-Rookie First Team honors in 2015-16. After averaging 17.5 points, seven rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game as a rookie, the 6-foot-11 center has struggled to find a consistent role with the team.
Since the start of his second season in the NBA, Okafor has averaged just 22.7 minutes a night in 51 games, seeing his production drop to 11.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per appearance. His fit alongside other recent Sixers lottery picks such as Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Dario Saric - and in the modern pace-and-space NBA in general - has been widely debated.
Anderson, acquired from Dallas as part of the Nerlens Noel trade (another casualty of the Sixers' crowded frontcourt), has averaged just 7.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game since joining the team in February.
