Report: Celtics more likely to land Okafor than Westbrook, Griffin

The Boston Celtics have plenty of picks and good players, and they may be looking to part with some of those assets in order to obtain a great player.

While they've been linked to stars like Russell Westbrook and Blake Griffin, it's believed the player who's most likely to land in Boston via a blockbuster deal is Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor.

The 20-year-old big man's offensive prowess has become superfluous to team needs since the Sixers selected Ben Simmons first overall in last month's draft.

"From the moment Philly drafted Ben, everyone around the league knew that they would have to trade a big, either Okafor or Nerlens (Noel)," an NBA scout told A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.

"Okafor is the better scorer; it's not even close really. But Nerlens has that ability to run the floor and can protect the rim. Those two qualities ... you can't have enough guys in the frontcourt who call those two skills, strengths. That's why Okafor is the more expendable player."

Related: 76ers GM doesn't want to keep all of Okafor, Embiid, Noel on roster

The Celtics and Sixers were reportedly close to swinging a draft-night trade; they didn't, but could still hammer out a deal before the season starts.

As eager as Boston may be to make a move, it must be the right one - one that nets the Celtics a star who can elevate them from the middle of the pack in the East.

"(Okafor) would help Boston, obviously," a league official told Blakely. "But it's clear that Boston isn't looking to just add a player who can make them better. They're looking for a guy who can come in and make an immediate impact in a really, really big way. Okafor's good, but I don't think he's that kind of guy for that team."