By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Prior to trading Jahlil Okafor to the Nets on December 7, the former Duke product was the talk of the trade block for a while in Philadelphia. He was held back from a road trip because a trade was close and ended up staying with the team after a deal, or deals, fell through. All in all, Okafor had a rough tenure with the Sixers. Despite solid numbers during his rookie year, Jah had off-court issues and struggled with defensive play. Despite his shortcomings, Okafor remained professional throughout the Sixers' center logjam and continued to try and keep himself ready to play.
In December, Okafor finally got an opportunity to play elsewhere as the Sixers sent him and Nik Stauskas to Brooklyn, a team that looked to be able to benefit from his post-offense. It took nearly a month for him to get regular minutes, but gradually fell out of the rotation and has been completely out of it since mid-February. He's played in just three of 18 games since the All-Star Break.
Set to be a restricted free agent this summer, Okafor told the New York Post that while there are a lot of factors in free agency (playing time, opportunity to win, location), in the end, he just wants to play basketball.
“All that goes into it,” said Okafor, who did not play in Sunday’s 108-96 loss to the Pistons. “But honestly I have no experience with this whatsoever, so I’m just trying to finish the season strong. [I’ll have] guidance from people who’ve dealt with what I’m going to deal with, and lean on them. I really don’t know what to expect. But, at the end of the day, I want to play basketball.”
When Okafor arrived in Brooklyn, it made sense that he'd need some time to get up to speed with his new team. After getting into shape and finding his way into game situations, things looked to be turning around. A calf injury, an illness and a handful of DNP-Coach's Decision's piled up, leading to his exit from the rotation.
Head coach Kenny Atkinson has relied on Quincy Acy and Jarrett Allen at center because of their steady defensive play and fit in the Nets offense. Atkinson noted that an entire offseason and training camp with the team could benefit Okafor, but the third-year center has already been with the Nets for more than half of the season now.
“I don’t really know what that means. I’ve been here for three or four months,” Okafor said. “Saying a full offseason would help me, I’ve been with these guys for three or four months now, done everything they’ve asked of me. I’m not sure what they want. But everybody’s treated me really well.”
For a player so used to winning in high school and college, it's hard to wonder if his days on an NBA roster are numbered. As it looks now, the Nets seem ready to move on. In 25 games for Brooklyn, Okafor is averaging six points and 2.8 rebound in 12.4 minutes.
