NEW ORLEANS – The Pelicans have added another young big man to their lineup today, acquiring Sixers center Jahlil Okafor in exchange for a 2004 Nissan Sentra with a 118,724 miles on it.
“We are excited to add Okafor to the mix here along with Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins,” said Pelicans GM Dell Demps. “After the Cousins trade, the market for Jahlil was kind of set and the Sixers were content to get a car that can probably still run for 10 or 15,000 miles without any significant work done to it.”
Sixers general manager Bryan Colangelo confirmed that he had to take what he could get for Okafor, the 3rd overall pick in the 2015 draft, after the Cousins trade went through.
“I don’t think it was any secret that we were shopping Jahlil or that the Pelicans had some interest,” said Colangelo. “We were hoping to get a nice haul in return, but when Cousins only brought Sacramento Buddy Hield and a first rounder, we felt it necessary to get whatever we could for Jahlil before the market collapsed even more. And what we could get was an old, blue Nissan that definitely was owned at some point by a smoker.”
Colangelo hopes the team can sell the car for parts and use that money to invest back into the team.
“A guy I talked to at a salvage yard said he could probably give me in the ballpark of $1,100 for an ’04 Nissan,” said Colangelo. “That may not seem like a lot in the NBA, but if we give T.J. McConnell in his next contract a $550 bonus every time he hits a game winner, we’re talking about adding two wins off of this Okafor trade. That’s not nothing.”
The Celtics were also in on Okafor discussions, but their offer of a 2-for-1 Hardee’s roast beef sandwich coupon was turned down.
“I don’t have a Hardee’s in my neighborhood, unfortunately,” said Colangelo.
