NBA Trade Rumors: Jahlil Okafor is back with the Sixers in Boston

A set of goodbyes made it look as though Jahlil Okafor would be moving on to a new home, but his status remains up in the air nine days before the NBA trade deadline. New reports have emerged regarding his whereabouts, and the team has now confirmed Okafor is in Boston to rejoin the franchise.

An initial report surfaced earlier this evening from Matt Burke of Metro, placing Okafor at Logan Airport in Boston tonight. While Burke’s report speculated about possible trade maneuvering, the logical connection to make was that Okafor rejoined the team for their final game in Boston.

Friend of the blog John Gonzalez, formerly of CSN Philly, confirmed about an hour ago that Okafor had indeed made his way up to Beantown on the eve of the team’s first game before the All-Star break:

There have been conflicting reports and a whole lot of hearsay suggesting Okafor returned to Chicago in recent days, mostly based on his Twitter location. In a follow-up conversation with a team source, Liberty Ballers was able to confirm Okafor’s flight to Boston departed from Philadelphia. All indications suggest Okafor simply stayed behind in Philly while the rest of his teammates headed to Charlotte on Sunday.

As for what this means for trade talks, there is still a lack of clarity. Sixers fans will have to wait until tomorrow’s shootaround (and possibly longer) for any updates on Okafor’s status within broader trade discussions, and whether his return to the team means potential deals involving the center fell through. Bryan Colangelo looks like he has a lot of work left to do.