Milwaukee Bucks: 6 low-cost centers to target at the trade deadline
By Adam McGee
Nerlens Noel
One of the stranger storylines of the NBA season is whatever has been happening between Nerlens Noel and the Dallas Mavericks.
After turning down a considerable extension offer from the Mavericks in the summer, Noel has been completely out of favor with Dallas head coach Rick Carlisle and managed to play just over 200 minutes on the season to date.
This is just the latest chapter in a turbulent NBA career for Noel, who surprisingly fell to sixth on draft night in 2013, found himself with wildly inconsistent opportunities as a part of Philadelphia’s center logjam, and now is again out of favor at a critical juncture in his career.
Perhaps all of these factors say something about Noel as an NBA player that isn’t necessarily apparent from his ability and physical gifts, but it would be unsurprising if some team decided to test the waters in sending Dallas an offer for the 23-year-old.
Having signed the qualifying offer, Noel will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. Any team interested in his services may view trading for him now as a chance to pitch early for a longer term deal and offer him an audition in a role with greater stability.
Could Milwaukee be that team? If the Mavericks are willing to part with Noel at a low cost, the Bucks could do a lot worse than giving him a shot.