It seems the Toronto Raptors are already trying to prepare for life without Bismack Biyombo.
According to ESPN.com’s Zach Lowe, the Raptors are trying to poach Nerlens Noel from the center-laden Philadelphia 76ers:
The Raptors will need to move at least one big deal to have any hope of retaining both DeMar DeRozan and Biyombo, and teams will call about DeMarre Carroll. Toronto has already approached Philly about a deal sending out a rotation player — perhaps Terrence Ross, and other goodies — in exchange for Nerlens Noel, who could then assume Biyombo’s backup center role, according to league sources. The talks haven’t gained much traction yet.
Noel, ostensibly, is phenomenal fit in Toronto. He can be used as a pick-and-roll diver on offense, just like Biyombo, and he replaces any rebounding or rim protection they lose. His ability to jump the passing lanes and defend smaller players on the perimeter even renders him upgrade.
Dangling Terrence Ross as the primary bait won’t get the Raptors anywhere, though. Noel is approaching restricted free agency, which does limit his value. But the Sixers will likely want more than a modestly priced, inconsistent wing in exchange for his services.
If they can get a third team to send something to the Sixers in exchange for this year’s No. 9 pick, Jakob Poeltl, in addition to Ross, that might get them somewhere. They could also add Norman Powell to sweeten the pot, though that’s likely to steep a price for general manager Masai Ujiri.
Keep an eye on the Sixers specifically either way. They need to move one or both of Noel and Jahlil Okafor at some point, and once the free-agency dust settles, you can bet teams will come calling more aggressively.
