Jahlil Okafor rejoins the 76ers after they couldn’t find a trade for him

Jahlil Okafor has rejoined the Philadelphia 76ers and is available for Wednesday’s game against the Boston Celtics, according to Philly.com’s Keith Pompey. His return comes after there was a breakdown in trade discussions, according to Pompey, and the 76ers are not as certain to deal their second-year big man as they were in recent weeks.

The bizarre turn of events comes after Okafor was seen shaking hands with Philadelphia staff members as trade talks progressed just a week ago. He did not travel with the team for their past two road games at Charlotte and at Miami. Instead, the Sixers left him home with head coach Brett Brown telling reporters, “Jahlil Okafor’s situation is transparent. He’s in the middle of being discussed in trade scenarios.”

The New Orleans Pelicans and Chicago Bulls were teams considered to be interested in the center’s services, and Hoopshype’s Alex Kennedy reported the Trail Blazers and Nuggets were also in discussions. Now, it appears the 76ers have only one serious trade suitor in the Pelicans, who are attaching Alexis Ajinca’s contract to any deal they make.

Okafor’s tumultuous rookie season resulted in averages of 17.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. But with Joel Embiid’s emergence, the Duke big man, who was selected third overall in the 2015 NBA Draft, has seen his playing time and production slashed.

Philadelphia’s low post scorer averages just 11.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game off the bench this season and is fighting for minutes in a crowded 76ers frontcourt.

Okafor is a talented inside scorer, but given the 76ers’ crowded frontcourt, teams could be trying to pry the gifted big man away at a discount. Returning the player to its rotation could be a sign that Philadelphia hasn’t seen an offer sweet enough to part ways with its reserve forward-center.

Philadelphia needs to move forward and build on the foundation that Embiid has laid. With Ben Simmons’ inevitable return, the frontcourt is solidified, especially while Nerlens Noel is on tap.

Bringing Okafor back only complicates matters, especially after it seemed the team was ready to part ways with him a few days ago. Even Okafor thought he was heading out of town.

“I thought it would be a good chance,” said Okafor, according to Pompey. “When I’m not traveling with the team, I was expecting something to happen.”

Regardless, Okafor is still the odd man out in Philadelphia. And as the Feb. 23 trade deadline draws closer, teams that could use a low-post scoring boost will pony up and give the 76ers what they want for their second-year big man.

Okafor is a talented player and Philadelphia knows that. So it’ll wait until the last second and get the biggest return on its draft pick. Whether a sizable return comes before the deadline or during the summer remains to be seen.

Probability: 8/10