Jahlil Okafor to Pelicans update: Sixers to receive Alexis Ajinca and draft pick, NBA Trade Deadline

The Philadelphia 76ers and New Orleans Pelicans are discussing a trade that would send centre Jahlil Okafor to the Western Conference team in exchange for point guard Jrue Holiday, per fresh reports. Both teams are expected to remain active ahead of the Feb. 23 NBA Trade Deadline.

Holiday, drafted by the Sixers in 2009, spent four seasons in Philadelphia before being traded to New Orleans in exchange for Nerlens Noel and the Pelicans' 2014 first-round draft pick ahead of the 2013-14 season. The eighth-year point guard, an unrestricted free agent this summer, has already drawn interest from the Sixers, who will reportedly court him with a maximum-level contract in July. By trading for Holiday, the Sixers can acquire his Bird Rights and offer him the most lucrative possible contract in free agency.

It's no secret that the Sixers, determined to invest in Joel Embiid as the centre of the future, have been openly shopping Okafor and Nerlens Noel since the start of the 2016-17 season. Earlier on Monday, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical and Sam Amick of USA Today tweeted (see below) that the Sixers and Pelicans are discussing a deal surrounding the former Duke standout. Amick added that the Sixers are pushing for the Pelicans' 2017 first-round draft pick.

Jahlil Okafor to Pelicans: Teams close to finalising deal

A little later in the day, NBA insider Keith Smith tweeted that the New Orleans Pelicans are "committed to keeping Jrue Holiday and still believe they can make a run at the playoffs (since they are only 3.5 games behind the eighth-seeded Portland Trail Blazers). Smith followed-up by noting that the Sixers want to "re-engage on bringing Jrue Holiday back to PHI. Trade could expand."

Since the Pelicans' first-round pick is lottery protected, the Sixers are trying to off load the contracts of either Omer Asik or Alexis Ajinca, according to Smith. A little later, Smith tweeted that the teams are close to finalising a deal that would send Ajinca and a lottery-protected first-round pick to Philadelphia in exchange for Jahlil Okafor. The deal could be finalised as early as Tuesday morning.

Jahlil Okafor, voted into the All-Rookie First Team last season, could form an interesting frontcourt duo with Pelicans superstar Anthony Davis. While Okafor's deficiencies on the defensive end have denied him a starting role in Philadelphia, there's no denying his low-post scoring and rebounding skills. Okafor averaged 17.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks as a rookie.