The Philadelphia 76ers have traded their rights to J.P. Tokoto to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Tokoto will play in the D-League for the Oklahoma City Blue.

Tokoto didn't make the 76ers' regular season roster.

The Philadelphia 76ers have exercised the third-year contact options on center Joel Embiid and guard Nik Stauskas, and the fourth-year contract option on forward Nerlens Noel.

Embiid is out for the season with another foot surgery.

The Philadelphia 76ers have waived guards Pierre Jackson, J.P. Tokoto, Scottie Wilbekin and Jordan McRae, and forward Furkan Aldemir.

Additionally, the Sixers signed center Jordan Railey, who has also been waived and will be a Designated Affiliate of the NBA Development League Delaware 87ers.

The Oklahoma City Thunder led the NBA in efficiency differential during the preseason with a mark of +12.5.

During the 14-15 preseason, the Golden State Warriors had the league's best mark with +11.0, which became a first indicator of their jump as title contenders.

Here's the full rankings from the 15-16 preseason:

1. Thunder: 12.5
2. Celtics: 11.6
3. Grizzlies: 11.5
4. Wizards: 10.4
5. Hornets: 10.0
6. Pistons: 7.1
7. Raptors: 5.6
8. Pacers: 4.7
9. Knicks: 4.0
10. Suns: 3.9
11. Nuggets: 3.5
12. Kings: 3.3
13. Magic: 2.8
14. Blazers: 1.8
15. Jazz: 0.4
16. Heat: 0.0
17. Hawks: -0.7
18. Rockets: -0.7
19. Nets: -1.0
20. Warriors: -1.3
21. Spurs: -1.9
22. Lakers: -2.1
23. Bucks: -3.4
24. Bulls: -3.6
25. Pelicans: -3.6
26. Clippers: -4.2
27. Cavaliers: -6.5
28. 76ers: -8.6
29. Mavericks: -10.7
30. Wolves: -11.0

Brett Brown had Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel practice against each other throughout training camp and the preseason, but he had them play together ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers' final preseason game.

"It's coming along really good," Noel said. "I think we're meshing better and better. We had a great practice. We're finding each other even more than we have in games . . . We worked on the high-low a little bit. Me flashing up and 'Jah' flashing up. We worked a lot out of the post for the whole practice. Coach Brown made that emphasis. We're all just getting better and better and figuring out where the shooters are and the spacing we really need with posting up isolations. It's coming along."

Brown wants the 76ers to play as fast as possible, while Okafor's style works best in a slower environment.

"I thought the thing that came out most was that they can pass and they can really pass to each other," Brown said of the practice. "That big-big relationship is common in all big-big teams. It's a relationship on how you find each other and (how) they talk to each other. In a halfcourt game, how do they coexist? How do you space? Where does JaKarr (Sampson) go? He's more of a slasher. Where does (Robert) Covington go? He's more of a shooter. Fortunately, I've had a lot of experience on spacing behind Tim Duncan. I have to do a good job with these guys."

Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) of Philadelphia Magazine, DraftExpress and USA Today joins Nate Duncan (@NateDuncanNBA) to preview the Philadelphia 76ers.

Topics include: Who on this team can be a part of the next good edition of the 76ers; the progression of Nerlens Noel, how Jahlil Okafor will translate this year, the Sixers' upgraded shooting, a season prediction, and Sam Hinkie's overall strategy.

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Jahlil Okafor has struggled on offense during the preseason.

In his past two games, Okafor has combined to make just 5 of his 18 shots (27 percent).

"I've never been a guy to pinpoint one thing," Okafor said after that game. "I have to work on my entire game. I'm just trying to keep making progress and keep progressing. It's preseason. So I'm trying to work everything out."

Opposing defenses are collapsing against Okafor to make other members of the Philadelphia 76ers beat them.

"We are just getting him the ball, trying to space around him and let's see [what happens]," Brett Brown said. "I think I've got to coach more movement around him. You know cutting off post feeds, slashing from the weak side."

Brown said he and Okafor need to figure out a way to "quarterback the gym."

"Then we start sprinkling shooters around," Brown said. "That's the best play they have - Jahlil Okafor get him the ball, and [defenders] are going to come. We can play that second side."

The Philadelphia 76ers don't regret drafting Joel Embiid in 2014 as he continues to be plagued by foot issues.

“An elite big man is very hard to come by in this league,” managing owner Josh Harris said. “I think when we drafted Joel , I think it was a reasoned risk, a smart risk.”

Embiid had another surgery in August and will miss the entire 15-16 season.

“His progress looked very promising up until very late when we thought he was going to play in summer league and then all of a sudden we had a setback," Harris said. "I was disappointed, It took me like a week to pick myself up off the floor.

“But what we done since then … [is have] a very high quality process to get him the best medical care for the surgery and since the surgery making sure that he and we are doing everything possible to position him to be an elite NBA player.”

Josh Harris remains optimistic that the Philadelphia 76ers are on their way to becoming title contenders as they begin Year 3 of their rebuild with Sam Hinkie in charge.

“I think we are making progress,” Harris said Thursday during his preseason state-of-the-franchise press conference.  “I’m an impatient person at heart. I would rather get to the end point as fast as possible.

“But at the same time, the goal is still the same goal to be an elite extremely competitive team that goes deep in the playoffs.”

The 76ers aren't expected to contend for a playoff spot this season.

“But at the same time there aren’t shortcuts to it,” Harris said. “So you have to react to the realities on the crowd. I certainty wish it was going faster. But at the same time, I’m happy with the progress."