Carmelo Anthony

NBA Trade Rumors: Why The Sixers Should Trade Nerlens Noel To The Mavs

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:05 p.m. ET

Fansided, Mason McFee/FanSided via Sir Charles In Charge

Apr 8, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Nerlens Noel (4) dribbles the ball around Washington Wizards center Marcin Gortat (4) during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

NBA Trade Rumors: Why the Philadelphia 76ers should trade Nerlens Noel to the Dallas Mavericks

Trust the Process. Well, the Philadelphia 76ers had no other choice to under the leadership (can you call it that?) of Sam Hinkie. Thankfully, for 76ers and NBA fans alike, that era is over, and the 76ers have become more competitive; don’t let the 7-20 record fool you.

Despite all this, the 76ers still have issues, but this time they aren’t coming from management – they’re coming from the locker room.

Shortly after the 76ers’ loss to the Lakers this past Saturday, Nerlens Noel told reporters that he was frustrated about the logjam at center the 76ers have. He thinks he should receive more playing time. Since then NBA fans and analysts alike have been asking – should he? Does he need to moved? Or does someone else?

Before that question can be answered, I think the conundrum the 76ers are facing should be presented.

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The Conundrum

I’m going to give you a series of stats, and want you to see if you can guess who’s who.

Player A: 14.4 PPG, 5.4 DRPG, 27.5 MPG

Player B: 18.3 PPG, 5.4 DRPG, 24.2 MPG

Player C: 11.3 PPG, 3.3 DRPG, 23.0 MPG

Player D: 5.0 PPG, 1.5 DRPG, 9.0 MPG

That’s right reader, Ersan Ilyasova is Player B. (Kidding! I’m kidding.)

Believe it or not, Ersan is Player A. Embiid was probably obvious as Player B. Okafor is Player C. Noel is Player D. Those numbers are not a misprint.

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Now, as you might recall, I said the 76ers have a logjam at center, and Ersan plays the 4. Well, in today’s NBA, Ersan can play the 5 in small ball situations and can stretch the floor (shooting 36.7% from 3). The problem is, he’s making it harder for head coach Brett Brown to justify giving his minutes to Noel. It’s not so much that Ersan is special, but next to Embiid is the 2nd or 3rd best player on the floor at any given time. So who’s next?

If you’re Brown, you’re not taking minutes from Embiid. He’s still on a minutes restriction, but the numbers above are not his Per 36; they’re his actual stats. He’s averaging a touch over 18 a game while only playing half of a regulation NBA game. That’s impressive.

“Well if not Ersan or Embiid, then it’s got to be Okafor.”

Well reader, from a logical standpoint I’d say yes. But this is the 76ers we’re talking about. (Kidding, again). In all seriousness though, Okafor is probably the biggest question mark of all of the 76ers’ bigs.

Okafor coming out of college was a bully. He dominated opposing bigs due to his size, but upon coming to the NBA those “opposing bigs” are all, er, as big as him. He can still score at will, but his motivation has been questioned already in his young career. He’s also not a strong rebounder. One popular pro comparison out of college was Al Jefferson, and it’s proven to be pretty spot on.

Okafor came off the bench to start the season but has recently started next to Okafor and it’s been a mixed bag of results. Putting Embiid at the 4 means you have floor spacing, but then Okafor (with a career 6.4 RPG average, composite of offensive and defensive rebounds) isn’t a double-double machine. Then, that means you have to put Noel and Ersan on the bench and take away minutes from Dario Saric (who, the 76ers waited a long time on) and we haven’t even gotten to Richaun Holmes or Ben Simmons.

An alternative is starting McConnell and Rodriguez as your backcourt, and then put RoCo on the wing and play Ersan and Embiid together. Then, suddenly you have a lot of offense, but not a whole lot of defense; which Noel provides. See the issue(s)?

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Is there a solution?

There is a short answer to that question, but the tall answer is above you – Andrew Bogut. (Sorry, that was poor).

Despite Mark Cuban’s adamant stance that the Mavericks will not tank, they need to. I feel terrible for Dirk, especially with him coming out saying that he may have to retire after this season due to injuries. He deserves better than a 7-20 team. Alas, I digress.

Against the Kangz the other night, the Mavericks’ starting 5 was Deron Williams, Wesley Matthews, Harrison Barnes, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Salah Mejri; not the most intimidating lineup to say the least. How does this help the 76ers?

Well, Bogut is out with a right knee injury which is something that Bogut has battled his whole career – injuries. He’s an incredible passer, his court vision is off the charts, and he’s just a smart basketball player. Oh and he holds a career 9.0 TRPG average. The highest rebounding average for any member of the 76ers is 8.0….. and belongs to (you guessed it!) Nerlens Noel.

Noel may never be anything more than a defensive specialist and rebounding machine, but that’s essentially what Cuban and Co. were looking for when they tried (and infamously failed) to woo DeAndre Jordan; and look at what the Clippers had to pay to retain him.

The Mavericks and 76ers can help each other out, and here’s how…

Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

The Trade

PHI receives: Andrew Bogut, Devin Harris

DAL receives: Sergio Rodriguez, Nerlens Noel, some of the million 76ers’ 2nd round picks

Before you say that the trade is uneven, remember that it’s an odd situation to begin with. Also, interestingly enough, ESPN’s Trade Machine said the W-L wasn’t affected for either team. Let’s start with the City of Brotherly Love.

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Noel is now gone in this hypothetical trade, so the 76ers are going to need rebounding. Bogut should be inserted into the starting lineup and won’t require a ton of shots.

There’s also the Australian connection between head coach Brett Brown and Bogut, which should help with chemistry and learning the offense (which, if I dare say, is a bit simplistic). Whenever Simmons comes, you suddenly have two passing bigs in the starting 5, which is a bigger deal than you think. He’s also a veteran presence and a proven leader.

Harris is another veteran who understands the game, and has never been in the headlines about wanting more playing time. He can handle an offense.

McConnell has shown his capability of being a starting PG, and is definitely qualified to be a backup PG. Suddenly, your starting 5 could look like this:

Harris-Thompson (He’s 6’8″ people and shoots 3s at a blistering rate; 39% career from 3) –Simmons-Embiid-Bogut

Dallas on the other hand gets picks for the future which is never a bad thing, and still has veteran depth at the PG position; in fact they get a bit younger with Rodriguez. Noel becomes their starting center of the future, and suddenly the starting 5 is (when Dirk is healthy):

Williams-Matthews-Barnes-Dirk-Noel

While that isn’t a massive upgrade offensively, defensively you get a lot better, and get a motivated player in Noel. That’s exactly the type of guy Mark Cuban wants on his team, and your team should too.