NBA Rumors: Buzz on Jahlil Okafor Trade, Greg Monroe and More

While it often seems like most NBA rumors involving free agents and trades crop up simply to tease and excite fans—only to be quickly dispelled or fade away, never to be heard from again—others are more persistent. They can linger for days, weeks, even months, and in the end may lead to an actual move or two.Chatter involving the Boston Celtics, flush with young, athletic players and future draft picks, has persisted for much of the 2016 offseason. After a satisfying fifth-place finish in the Eastern Conference last season, accomplished with a lone All-Star in diminutive point guard Isaiah Thomas, the Celtics are primed to take greater steps toward contending this season.While they’ve been linked to illustrious names like Blake Griffin and Russell Westbrook, CSNNE.com’s A. Sherrod Blakely reports that the established stars may be out of reach, and the Philadelphia 76ers’ Jahlil Okafor might be the trade Celtics fans will actually see come to fruition.”The consensus among league executives spoken to by CSNNE.com is that the most likely trade for Boston will be one in which they wind up with Philadelphia’s Jahlil Okafor,” Blakely wrote.

Blakely added that “league sources claim both have kept the door ajar to getting a deal done between now and the start of training camp.”

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The No. 3 pick of the 2015 draft, Okafor averaged 17.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in 53 games as a rookie. He boasts a fine array of post moves and has a decent shooting stroke but is little help on defense, with a 110 defensive rating, per Basketball-Reference.com.

The 76ers certainly need to carve out some room in the frontcourt so that their young big men can get the minutes they need to develop. The Ringer’s Jonathan Tjarks noted that between Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid and Okafor, the latter might be the one who least fits with Philly:

In all likelihood, Okafor is the odd man out. Not only does Embiid …

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