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Robb: Celtics Reportedly Aren't Willing To Give Up Much In Potential Jahlil Okafor Trade

BOSTON (CBS) – Trade winds are still swirling around the Celtics as multiple members of the organization insist Danny Ainge is not done upgrading the roster this summer. One name that has frequently been connected with Boston as a potential trade target is second-year center Jahlil Okafor, but a new report indicates that the Celtics may not be big fans of the 20-year-old former Duke star.

Keith Pompey of Philly.com reports that Ainge and the Celtics have worries about just how well Okafor is able to handle himself off the floor:

Word out of Boston is that the Celtics will not give up much for the 6-foot-11, 257-pounder.

They have concerns about his playing in the city after being involved in two street fights there in the early hours of Thanksgiving morning. Nor do they like the fact that the center saw a gun pointed at his head in Old City and that he was stopped for going 108 mph over the Ben Franklin Bridge.

Okafor was the No. 3 overall pick by the Sixers in the 2015 NBA Draft and sat out summer league as he recovers from a knee injury that sidelined him for the final two months of his rookie season.

Okafor put up impressive numbers overall before suffering the knee issue, averaging 17.5 points and seven rebounds per game over 53 contests, but he's been on the trade block for weeks while the Sixers deal with a logjam in the frontcourt. Joel Embiid is expected to be healthy for training camp and he's another big man who lacks reliable shooting range, much like the remainder of the Sixers' bigs (Nerlens Noel, Ben Simmons).

Philadelphia doesn't have enough minutes to go around to develop those young pieces and it's unclear whether a Okafor/Embiid or Okafor/Noel could co-exist well together on the floor without the ability to stretch the floor.

Ainge listed a stronger center as one of his priorities for the offseason earlier this month, but it's unclear if Okafor would be a strong fit for the Celtics as they are currently composed. He would be a tough match with new addition Al Horford in the frontcourt since both players lack the speed to guard quicker 4s. Okafor is also a question mark defensively, especially in the pick-and-roll, which does not mesh well with Boston's aggressive defenders on the perimeter.

The Celtics certainly have a surplus of young guards (Terry Rozier, James Young, R.J. Hunter) that could packaged in a deal, but those guys alone won't be enough to land a recent top-3 pick. Ainge may want to stay patient and maintain his full collection of assets for a bigger fish, rather than sacrifice some on a piece that might not get the Boston much closer to a championship.

Brian Robb covers the Celtics for CBS Boston and contributes to NBA.com, among other media outlets. You can follow him on Twitter @CelticsHub.

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