Phoenix Suns, Philadelphia 76ers should swap Brandon Knight and Jahlil Okafor
It’s funny how things have a way of working themselves out. Before the season started, NBA Trade Rumors had the Phoenix Suns moving Eric Bledsoe and the Philadelphia 76ers taking offers for Nerlens Noel. But, the season has brought new hope for both teams and now the rumors are starting to hit that those same players are safe but the attention has turned elsewhere.
The Suns may be shopping Brandon Knight instead of Bledsoe and the 76ers may have Jahlil Okafor on the blocks instead of Noel.
[Mark]This trade will do wonders for both teams. The Suns are mentioned to be involved in a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers as well in regards to Tyson Chandler and will need another big in the paint to replace him. The 76ers are in dire need of a PG and Knight could easily be an All-Star caliber player with Philly. An inside/outside game with him and Embiid would be dangerous, then you throw in Ben Simmons when he returns and the 76ers just became a contender for that 8th seed in the East.
The Suns need offense from the frontcourt and Okafor could provide that in bunches with a team that loves to get out on the break. Okafor, coupled with Bledsoe and Devin Booker will be explosive on the offense end and with Alex Len getting starter minutes at the Center position, the Suns may improve on the defensive end.
This is a win-win for both teams but with salaries, the 76ers will be forced to throw in a draft pick. Knight is on the books until 2020 with an average salary of $14M and Okafor is still on his rookie deal with an annual salary of $4.7M. For the Suns, this is a smart deal, as they will get to shred a huge salary off the cap and for the 76ers, they have tons of cap space available to eat the contract.
Knight is still a great scorer but his time has been limited this season with Bledsoe healthy and the emergence of Booker. For his career, Knight has averaged 16 points and four assist, and Okafor, 16 points, and six rebounds.
If both teams are looking to ship their respective players out-of-town but get something of value in return, then this is the deal that must be done.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
