By: Jesse Larch, Sports Talk Philly editor
After a year of being on the trade block the Sixers have finally dealt center Jahlil Okafor.
According to Shams Charania of The Vertical and Zach Lowe of ESPN the Sixers are shipping the former third-overall pick to the Brooklyn Nets along with Nik Stauskas and a 2019 second round pick in exchange for power forward Trevor Booker:
Philadelphia is nearing deal to send center Jahlil Okafor to Brooklyn in deal that involves forward Trevor Booker, league sources tell Yahoo.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 7, 2017
Philly will send Okafor, Nik Stauskas, and a second-round pick to Brooklyn for Trevor Booker, sources say.
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) December 7, 2017
Trevor Booker is in his eighth NBA season, and has been an effective player for Brooklyn this season averaging a career-highs in points (10.1), and assists (2.1) while shooting 51.3% from the field and grabbing 6.6 rebounds a game across 21.9 minutes a night.
Booker's contract expires at the end of the season.
Okafor had fallen out of the Sixers rotation with Joel Embiid, Amir Johnson, and Richaun Holmes all slotted ahead of him in the depth chart at Center.
In two games this season Okafor is averaging 5.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in 12.5 minutes. Nik Stauskas has not fared much better this season averaging 0.7 points in 7.5 minutes a night across six games. The Sixers free up cap space for this upcoming offseason by moving Stauskas asusming that they do not retain Booker's services beyond this season.
Booker and the Sixers will face Okafor, Stauskas, and the Nets on January 31. Booker had a message for the city after the news of his trade broke:
Philly what it do? 💪🏾
— Trevor Booker (@35_Fitz) December 7, 2017