Though the Philadelphia 76ers still aren’t enjoying as much success as they would’ve hoped this season, a large part of that is due to the injury sustained by #1 overall pick Ben Simmons. Despite this, we have seen the Sixers make strides and show promise for the future. Most of that exciting potential comes from their crowded frontcourt consisting of Joel Embiid, Jahlil Okafor, and Nerlens Noel. With three young studs having to share the paint and playing time, someone was going to have to be the odd man out.
As most people across the NBA know by now, Nerlens Noel is clearly the one on the move. He has fallen out of coach Brett Brown’s rotation completely, and his recent postgame comments about his playing time situation raised eyebrows. That being said, the departure of the third-year big is looming and there are already potential suitors vying for his services. Two of those teams seem to be the Portland Trailblazers and the Toronto Raptors. Following from Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders:
There are a couple of teams to watch on the Noel front, the biggest being the Toronto Raptors. It is unlikely that the Raptors mess with their team chemistry in moving a core player, but if the 76ers want some of the Raptors’ young players or non-core parts, Toronto would have interest in Noel, according to sources close to the situation. It’s also believed the Portland Trail Blazers have eyes on Noel, but they may be unwilling to give up much in a deal.
If Noel were to be on the move, both these destinations would make a ton of sense. Noel has certainly proven that he is a starting caliber big in this league. Though in limited fashion his first two years, the Kentucky product showed us that he was more than capable of rebounding at an exceptional rate and finishing layups and dunks around the rim consistently.
Portland recently lost free agent acquisition Festus Ezeli for the season before he even played a single minute in a Blazers uniform. Though they’ve been getting by with a Noah Vonleh-Mason Plumlee starting frontcourt, the addition of Noel would be huge in taking some pressure off their exciting backcourt tandem of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. Not only would Noel fit right away, but the Sixers are likely looking for a perimeter scorer in return and the Blazers have a plethora of expendable guard talent such as Allen Crabbe, Evan Turner, and even Shabazz Napier. Though none of these would warrant Noel in return, throwing in a draft pick may be enough to sway Philly.
Toronto could also be a solid fit for Noel as they could use someone to play alongside Jonas Valanciunas in the post. This potential move would bolster their chances of giving the Cleveland Cavaliers a run for their money in the Eastern Conference come playoff time.
We can almost say with full confidence that Noel will not be in a Sixers uniform once the trade deadline passes by in February. The Blazers and Raptors both make suitable candidates to get a deal done for the young big man’s services.
