Nick Piccone
There have been numerous reports through the Sixers offseason that the team would trade either Jahlil Okafor or Nerlens Noel. The prevailing thought is the team would rather part ways with Okafor instead of Noel, who they value more on the court. A likely destination for either player would be in Boston, where the Celtics have expressed interest in trading for both players.
CSN New England’s Gary Tanguay told us before the NBA Draft the Celtics really wanted Okafor. But then we were told before, during and after the draft that they preferred Noel and the Sixers were asking for too much in return. While that’s likely the case, it doesn’t mean a possible deal is dead. Could the Celtics still be eyeing their guy?
According to a report from CSN New England’s A. Sherrod Blakely, Noel would probably like it very much if he was traded to his hometown team if the Sixers were able to make it happen.
Noel has not asked for a trade, but multiple league sources told CSNNE.com that he is “very open” to being traded if the Sixers decide to make that decision.
Another league source contacted by CSNNE.com on Thursday morning indicated that the Celtics still have a high level of interest in Noel but no deal is imminent.
Noel tweeted Wednesday night that he loves his city, two months after his last tweet.
I'm blessed to be from Boston. Love my city.
— Nerlens Noel (@NerlensNoel3) August 11, 2016
Why? Who? When? How?
Maybe he’s just feeling Olympic pride for his fellow Bostonians.
Or maybe he’s a Celtic and none of us know yet.
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There’s also a report floating around that the Cleveland Cavaliers are interested in acquiring Noel.
According to YIBADA, the Cavs are interested in trading power forward Kevin Love to the Sixers for center Nerlens Noel. It’s no secret that Cleveland has been trying to move Love for quite some time — he hasn’t blended well with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving during his time with the Cavaliers. Noel has also been on the trading block due to Philadelphia’s surplus of big men.
The Cavs have plenty of offensive firepower; what they really need is a defensive presence in the paint, and Nerlens Noel would fit that need very well. Noel is one of three quality centers on the 76ers’ roster, and the team has made it clear that they want to trade one of them to better balance their roster, per Hall of Fame Magazine.
On the other hand, the Sixers are a team that needs more top-flight players, in fact, the case could be made that they don’t currently have any elite talent (as their 10-72 record from last year would indicate). Kevin Love would give the 76ers a star-caliber player to build around, something they desperately need as they attempt to build from the ground up.
It kind of makes sense. But this rumor hasn’t exactly gained traction. That doesn’t mean it’s not true, but from everything we’ve seen to this point, the Celtics look like a prime landing spot for Noel over any other team at this point.
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And, this’ll be fun to poke around. Some random website threw out a rumor about the Lakers trading for Noel in exchange for Ingram. What say you?