Most Sixers fans thought and hoped that either Nerlens Noel or Jahlil Okafor would be filling out someone else’s roster by now. All the reports and rumors around draft day turned into a game of whisper down the lane – or “telephone” if you’re a JO – where we weren’t sure who was being offered or what they were being offered for. One thing that seemed certain is that Okafor was being shopped hard, and as it turns out he didn’t care much for that.

According to Tom Moore’s source, Bryan Colangelo “tried like hell to trade Okafor” before moving on to shopping Noel:

As a result, Okafor is “upset and his people are upset.”
Colangelo and the Sixers then turned their attention to Noel, but nothing happened there, either.

Part of the issue is bad luck. The center position hasn’t been this devalued in decades, with teams trying to spread the floor with shooters a la the Warriors.

It seems like the Sixers are asking for more in return than the others around the league want to give them.

That the Raptors reportedly contacted the Sixers about Noel after Bismack Biyombo agreed to a four-year, $72 million deal with the Magic was interesting because Toronto supposedly views Noel as a potential replacement for Biyombo’s backup center role. The Sixers see Noel as a starter.

It’s possible the Celtics could revisit talks with the Sixers about one of the young big men, but Boston general manager Danny Ainge doesn’t have the No. 3 overall pick to offer anymore and is known for holding the line on what he’ll give up in trades.

The problems around the roster don’t seem to go away, just evolve. Whether real or imagined, it started with lack of a veteran presence. Then it turned into a crowded frontcourt. And now, one of your presumptive future stars (just ranked as a “project” by FiveThirtyEight with 19% the projected five-year market value of Noel) is pissed off. The team is building and headed in an upward trajectory for the first time in a few years, but the stumbling blocks keep popping up.