Jahlil Okafor’s tenure with the Philadelphia 76ers has been nothing but bizarre. After he was selected No. 3 overall in the 2015 NBA Draft, Okafor has seen his career on a downward trajectory. His demotion to the bench and the Sixers’ decision not to pick up the final option year of his rookie contract makes his situation in Philly a lot worse.

Okafor wants a fresh start, but the Sixers just couldn’t let the young big walk away without exhausting all options on the trade market. Even at this point, the Sixers' front office still hopes they can get something in return out of trading Okafor.

NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN revealed that more than half of the teams in the NBA have legit interest in Okafor. However, most of these teams don’t think Okafor is worth a first-round pick or even multiple second-round draft picks. Still, the Sixers reportedly plan to take a wait-and-see approach until the midseason trade deadline in February, when sellers usually get aggressive offers.

Teams to watch out for in Okafor deal

The Milwaukee Bucks are reportedly making a concerted effort in their pursuit of Los Angeles Clippers All-Star big man DeAndre Jordan. However, if the Jordan trade isn’t there for the Bucks, the most likely fallback trade options are Okafor and the Phoenix Suns’ Tyson Chandler.

Okafor is the most logical secondary target since his rookie contract ($5 million) will expire at the end of this season. Chandler is the better defensive player, even at the age of 35, but he has one year and $13.5 million left on his deal after this season.

Milwaukee is looking to beef up their frontline without compounding their payroll flexibility.

The Bucks are projected to go over the luxury tax threshold next season unless they find a way to move the contracts of John Henson ($10 million), Mirza Teletovic ($10.5 million), and Matthew Dellavedova ($9 million).

Who are the sleeper teams for Okafor?

The Portland Trail Blazers might pull off a shocker around February with a deal for Okafor.

Jusuf Nurkic (15.1 PPG and 7.8 RPG) has been playing really good in his first full season in Portland, but the Blazers direly need another productive center to back him up. The expiring contract of Ed Davis could become the Blazers' trade chip along with a second-round pick.

The San Antonio Spurs are still in the thick of things in the Western Conference, despite not having top man Kawhi Leonard around since last season. The frontline tandem of LaMarcus Aldridge and Pau Gasol has been playing really well as of late, and their lack of depth hasn't been an issue. Still, the Spurs’ activity on the trading front is worth monitoring. Despite his defensive lapses and lack of perimeter shooting, Okafor has the low-post skills to go toe-to-toe with the best bigs in the NBA.

The Spurs' offensive sets seem to be tailored for Okafor's strengths. The right environment and great mentoring from the Spurs coaching staff could do wonders for the career of the former Duke Blue Devils star.
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