NBA Trade Rumors: More Details On Rumored Celtics Deal With Okafor; Spurs, Warriors, Thunder Showed Interest In Anderson Varejao
More details about the "mystery deal" supposedly involving Philadelphia 76ers big man Jahlil Okafor and the Boston Celtics have been revealed.
Celtics President for Basketball Operations Danny Ainge first brought up the one particular piece of information regarding the deal, but never made mention of the player involved. It was then heard from another source that the said player was Okafor.
The Celtics currently hold a number of draft picks which are available for trade, and in a report by Sean O'Connor for SBNation.com's Liberty Ballers, the said pick was also said to have been offered to the Sixers to make a deal involving Okafor happen. O'Connor's report did note, however, that the trade that did not end up happening may have been helpful for the Sixers, after all.
"At this point, with so much of the franchise's future uncertain, holding onto Okafor instead of abandoning ship is probably the right call in my opinion, especially if the Brooklyn pick was the only desirable return in the deal," an excerpt of O'Connor's report reads.
The 20-year-old professional basketball player was a first round draft pick (third pick overall) by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2015 NBA Draft.
For the current season, he has played in 49 games so far and is averaging 17.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.2 blocks, and 0.4 steals through 30.2 minutes of playing time per game.
Meanwhile, Cleveland Cavaliers big man Anderson Varejao has been on the radar of three teams. In a report by Marc Stein for ESPN.com, the said teams are the defending champions Golden State Warriors, the San Antonio Spurs, and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The 33-year-old Brazilian professional basketball player was selected in the second round by the Orlando Magic in the 2004 NBA draft but was immediately traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he has played for 12 seasons.
But according to a tweet by Yahoo Sports' Marc Spears, Varejao already signed with the Warriors for a veteran minimum deal for the rest of the season. The news has since been confirmed.
For the current season, Varejao has played in 31 games so far and is averaging 2.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 0.2 blocks through 10.0 minutes of playing time per game.
