Chicago Bulls Interested in Jahlil Okafor

According to a report from CSN Chicago, the Bulls have inquired about Jahlil Okafor’s availability.

Okafor is a Chicago native who would be returning home in any deal with the Bulls. According to Vincent Goodwill’s initial report, there is more interest on the Bulls’ side than on the Sixers’.

Despite Okafor’s reduced role on the Sixers this season, “the Bulls are interested, as they don't have much in the way of low-post scoring.” Goodwill continues:

So far, there's more interest on the Bulls' side than the 76ers' side, according to sources, but the Bulls are interested in Okafor's services. Because salaries have to match and Okafor is on a rookie-scale deal, one wonders how it can work if the 76ers aren't enamored with some of the Bulls' young players who've yet to fully blossom. The Bulls could conceivably open up talks to a third team if need be, considering it isn't likely they'd want to part with any future first-round picks as they're still deciding how they are to proceed with franchise direction in the next couple seasons.

An Okafor trade would be a welcome sight for a team that hasn’t had room to use him this year, and for which he probably doesn’t fit into future plans. As a slow-it-down player who needs the offense based around him, Okafor is the opposite type of player from Brett Brown’s pace-based offense.

However, it’s hard to see how that would not also be the case in Chicago. After hiring Fred Hoiberg on the basis of his spread, shooting-heavy offense, all of the Bulls’ off-season moves brought in personnel unfit to run it. Okafor would be another square peg in the round Hoiberg system.

Okafor has averaged 11.5 points and 4.7 rebounds in 23 minutes per game in his sophomore season with the Sixers.