The Nets Took Two Former Lottery Picks and a Second for Booker
On December 7, 2017, Brooklyn acquired former top-three draft choice Jahlil Okafor, shooter Nik Stauskas and a future 2019 second-round pick from Philadelphia. The 76ers received veteran forward Trevor Booker. Philadelphia had already built its frontcourt around Joel Embiid, leaving Okafor without a reliable role, and was seeking a tougher reserve who could defend and rebound. Booker had averaged 10.1 points for the Nets before the transaction. Brooklyn could examine two younger players for very little veteran cost while acquiring a genuine future draft opportunity. The official 2017 reporting confirms the full package; reducing it to Okafor for Booker would miss both Stauskas and the late first-selection-in-the-second-round asset.
Okafor and Stauskas Offered Smaller Brooklyn Returns Than Expected
Okafor needed a fresh start after injuries and limited opportunity with Philadelphia. In Brooklyn he remained a supporting center rather than rediscovering the high-scoring form of his rookie 2015-16 76ers season. Stauskas had been drafted eighth overall in 2014 and still offered outside shooting, but his Nets role was also a shorter experiment rather than a sustained starting guard tenure. The opportunity to evaluate two former first-round talents made sense for a rebuilding team, even if neither became a core member. Their earlier Philadelphia numbers cannot be transferred to the Brooklyn ledger. The eventual draft choice became the much more consequential asset, so the retrospective should acknowledge that the highest-impact return was delayed until 2019.
The Second-Round Pick Became Nic Claxton
Brooklyn selected Georgia center Nic Claxton at No. 31 in 2019 with the second-round choice tied to this deal. Claxton developed into an important long-term Nets defender and rim protector, supplying substantially more sustained team value than either Okafor or Stauskas. That explains the inherited Brooklyn A- grade despite the modest initial player performance. Philadelphia’s C- reflects the comparatively short tenure it received from Booker; the 76ers were buying depth for an immediate playoff push, not a future starter. The later success of Claxton belongs to Brooklyn’s actual draft investment, not to an unexercised pick or another unrelated trade. This deal illustrates why tracing the draft asset matters as much as comparing the players who changed uniforms in December 2017.
Final Verdict
Nets Win. Brooklyn earns A- for Jahlil Okafor, Nik Stauskas and the 2019 second-round pick used on No. 31 Nic Claxton. Philadelphia gets C- for Trevor Booker, who offered shorter-term reserve frontcourt depth. Claxton’s later long-term defense provided the most durable Nets return from the full package.