Here’s hoping Nerlens Noel fancies Voodoo Doughnut.
The Philadelphia 76ers big man has been available for basically forever. The team has a frontcourt logjam with him, Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor all needing time at center. If it wasn’t for left knee surgery that has prevented Noel from playing this season, he would probably already have a new home.
There remains the distinct chance, though, that he’ll have new digs before he’s back in Philly’s rotation. According to Sam Amico of Amico Hoops, the Portland Trail Blazers are showing interest:
Noel has hinted he would like to play elsewhere when he does return, and the Sixers are attempting to accommodate him. He is part of a crowded frontcourt that includes second-year center Jahlil Okafor and rookie Joel Embiid.
Several teams, including Portland, have recently held discussions with the Sixers about Noel.
Given the Sixers’ abundance of cap space and their interest in Allen Crabbe during free agency, a Crabbe-for-Noel swap makes sense. The Sixers need wings who can play defense and don’t need the ball in their hands on offense; Crabbe has been brutalized on the defensive end this year, but he would look much better with someone like Embiid behind him, and he’s still swishing more than 36 percent of his triples.
The move would be slightly curious for the Blazers. They need a defensive anchor in the middle, and Noel, at full strength, has shown he can often be just that. But they are low on wings with a proven jump shot. Dumping Crabbe leaves them with Al-Farouq Aminu, Evan Turner and Maurice Harkless, none of whom instill confidence in that area, even when they are shooting.
And while the Blazers might love to get out of Crabbe’s four-year, $75-plus million deal, Noel will be a restricted free agent this summer. It will cost money to retain him—serious money. They are already paying Ed Davis and Meyers Leonard, and Mason Plumlee is slated for restricted free agency as well.
For this deal to make the most sense, the Sixers would need to toss one of Hollis Thompson or Robert Covington the Blazers’ way. Even then, Portland is still left with the harrowing prospect of incurring serious luxury-tax penalties if it wants to keep Noel long term.
