Another strange twist in Okafor trade saga
Philadelphia's apparent quest to trade second-year big man Jahlil Okafor took another twist.
Last weekend the 76ers held Okafor out of two games, explaining that a trade appeared inevitable. On Wednesday, the Chicago native rejoined the team played in the loss to Boston.
NBA teams usually don't ask a player to stop playing unless a trade has been agreed upon. Obviously, that wasn't the case here. The Bulls, New Orleans, Portland and Denver have been mentioned as potential landing spots.
Okafor was the No. 3 pick of the 2015 draft. He had a nice rookie season, averaging 17.5 points and 7 rebounds.
This year, with Joel Embiid and Nerlens Noel healthier, Okafor's playing time has dropped, from 30 minutes to 23.2. He's averaging 11.6 points and still shooting better than 50 percent from the field.
The scouting report on the 6-foot-11 Okafor is he's an excellent scorer in the post but isn't very good on defense and doesn't rebound as well as he should for his size.
Okafor won an Illinois high school state title at Whitney Young, then won an NCAA championship as a freshman at Duke.
Another ongoing trade rumor has Thursday's opponent, the Boston Celtics, interested in dealing for Jimmy Butler. It seems far less likely the Bulls would move Butler, which almost certainly would signal a full-blown rebuilding plan.
The Celtics have attractive assets, though, particularly Brooklyn's unprotected first-round pick. The Nets have the league's worst record.
The NBA trade deadline is next Thursday, Feb. 23.
Better health news:
The Bulls had happier news than usual Wednesday in the injury department.
First of all, Jimmy Butler went through a full practice and did not have any problems with the bruised right heel that kept him out of four of the previous five games.
Butler played 38 minutes in the win over Toronto.
Coach Fred Hoiberg said Dwyane Wade participated in about half of Wednesday's workout. Wade has missed two games with a sore right wrist but could play Thursday against Boston.
"He's got ice on his wrist right now and we'll see how he's doing in the morning," Hoiberg said after practice.
One surprise was Nikola Mirotic participating in practice. He has missed two games with a sore back, and Hoiberg had said Mirotic probably wouldn't play until after the all-star break.
Now he's possible for the Celtics game.
Paul Zipser (ankle) did not practice and won't play Thursday.
Lopez contemplates trade:
Low-key comedian Robin Lopez was asked Wednesday if he ever discussed trade rumors with twin brother Brook, a center for the Nets.
"No," Robin answered. "He once told me he would trade me in high school for a bag of Cheetos, but that's about it."
How would it feel if he and Brook were traded for each other?
"I think whoever got Brook would be sorely disappointed," Robin said. "That's quite the presence to have to follow."