Sacramento Kings Should Target Jahlil Okafor Trade to Get Rid of DeMarcus Cousins; Ben McLemore, Rudy Gay Could Be Better With New Center

By Mitch de Leon
Jahlil Okafor
Jahlil Okafor during the 2015 NBA Summer League Wikimedia Commons/Ed

The Sacramento Kings once again find themselves at the bottom of the Western Conference as they lag behind the Portland Trail Blazers of Damian Lillard, Utah Jazz of George Hill and Memphis Grizzlies of Marc Gasol. Despite the remarkable performance of DeMarcus Cousins in the hardwood court, the Rudy Gay team appears to still struggle to rise in the rankings. With the recent issues surrounding the explosive center, the fans are now asking for an NBA trade to finally move on from the DeMarcus Cousins era.

The DeMarcus Cousins contract with the Sacramento Kings is anticipated to near its end soon as the center's skills seem to no longer be worth all the troubles he brings to the roster. If this NBA trade actually pushes through, another center is being targeted by the Rudy Gay team - Jahlil Okafor. Will this make sense for the Sacramento Kings?

The Philadelphia 76ers have been open with their need to unload of their three big men soon. With the return of Joel Embiid in the roster, the Ben Simmons team has to decide who to keep between Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor. While the Sixers seem to prefer the Duke alum over Nerlens Noel, the locker room support especially from Joel Embiid is behind the latter. Fans of the team are also rallying behind the benched center so a Jahlil Okafor trade could be the best for them right now.

"He's my best friend on the team, and I was really happy for him," shared Joel Embiid of his relationship with Nerlens Noel. He added, "I also want to get on the court and see what we can look like together, because I like him and want to play with everybody. I feel like if we are trying something, we should try the other thing too. So hopefully in the future they do that."

The Sixers leader further explained, "Because I have some type of relationship with him, I think I'm going to get him going, especially on the defensive end. Being aggressive, blitzing every pick and roll, just flying all over the place, I think we can really do that while we're on the court, and then offensively I'm sure we are going to figure it out. But I mean it's a team game, so just going to go out and compete every night with what we have."

The Sacramento Kings and the Philadelphia 76ers are both in trouble with their big men. Fans believe that working on an NBA trade that would ship Jahlil Okafor trade to the Rudy Gay team is the best way to save the season for the two basketball squads. Meanwhile, it is widely known that DeMarcus Cousins is an extremely versatile player so if he gets a contract with the Ben Simmons squad, he could be a valuable piece in their plays.

What do you think? Should an NBA trade be executed by the Sacramento Kings and Philadelphia 76ers? Will a Jahlil Okafor trade be good for the Rudy Gay team? Should the Ben McLemore team finally say goodbye to a DeMarcus Cousins contract and welcome a new era?

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