NBA Trade News: Philadelphia 76ers Traded Nerlens Noel To Dallas Mavericks For Andrew Bogut, Justin Anderson And Draft Pick, Sixers Ruined Process
The NBA Trade deadline just showed another weird transaction with the Philadelphia 76ser just ruining the "Process" that they were doing, trading Nerlens Noel instead of Jahlil Okafor to the Dallas Mavericks. The Sixers receive Andrew Bogut, Justin Anderson, and first round draft pick.
According to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski from Yahoo! Sports, the Sixers are likely to retain Okafor after trading Noel away. The third overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft will be the one to play alongside the Sixers' cornerstone, Joel Embiid.
Wojnarowski adds that the Mavericks will be looking to sign Noel, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, to a long-term contract extension. Dallas has long been intrigued with the 22-year-old forward-center out of Kentucky.
With Noel being a restricted free agent, the Mavericks will have the ability to also match any offer that Noel receives this summer. Dallas clearly won this trade, according to Andrew Lynch of Fox Sports.
Bogut unlikely to play a single game for the Sixers, and while they add a first round pick to their coffers, it is a top-18 protected pick. But the biggest reason this is a loss for the Sixers is that they gave up a better player in Noel and chose to stick with Okafor.
Lynch said that Okafor is not really "a high-level" NBA player, as he can only score decently, but can't rebound, pass, or defend. What he does on the court doesn't actually help an NBA team win games.
Noel, on the other hand, doesn't score much, but he can rebound, pass, and defend. Former sixth overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft is a better compliment for a player like Embiid.
Though the question of how Noel, Embiid and Ben Simmons will fit is a valid one, Lynch said that those same questions will pop up with Okafor. This is clearly not a good decision made by the Sixers President of basketball operations and General Manager, Bryan Colangelo. Check out Noels' highlights in the Sixers win against the Los Angeles Clippers last January.