The most talented free agent still on the mark is Nerlens Noel. The former 76ers center played half a season with the Dallas Mavericks before hitting restricted free agency this summer but there has been little news regarding his future since July 1.
While the Mavs have stated they want to match any offer for Noel (they are able to do that because of his RFA status), the two sides have not made any major strides towards a deal of their own. Tim Cato of Mavs Moneyball reported on Tuesday that that may not be changing anytime soon:
Nerlens Noel and the Mavericks are "not close" to a deal, several league sources tell me.
— Tim Cato (@tim_cato) July 12, 2017
With very few teams holding cap space to give Noel a big time offer (and the Mavs’ publicity about matching it anyway), it seems currently unlikely that the center will get the max contract he presumably wants (and probably should get). The Mavs likely don’t want to offer him a five-year deal in order to maintain more flexibility, hence their decrees that they will match other offers (four years max).
Noel has the option to play on a qualifying offer that would pay him very little relative money but allow him to hit the market again as an unrestricted free agent. Given his history as a prideful player and the current negotiations between the two sides, we could be reaching that point.
