The Cleveland Cavaliers have been quiet this offseason, seemingly content with re-signing their biggest star in LeBron James and possibly JR Smith. With Kevin Durant locked in with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green via free agency, fans of the 2015-16 NBA champions wonder how Kyrie Irving and his crew will stop the Golden State Warriors next season. To address the needs in their roster, Cleveland Cavaliers reports indicate that a Nerlens Noel trade is currently in the works.
At the moment, the Philadelphia 76ers star is lumped with a couple of other big men in their roster, namely, Jahlil Okafor, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. With an abundance of centers in the Sixers locker room, the front office has been open to negotiations to release one or two of these players. Since a Jahlil Okafor trade has been adamantly denied and the Joel Embiid health issues appear to have been resolved, the Philadelphia 76ers could be looking at a Nerlens Noel trade this offseason.
"When the Sixers drafted Ben Simmons with the No. 1 overall pick in June, that created a major logjam for Philadelphia's frontcourt. Simmons joins a group that includes Noel, Jahlil Okafor, Dario Saric and Joel Embiid," noted A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.
The analyst further pointed out, "With five young bigs who are all talented enough to play now, the Sixers will have little choice but to trade away at least one of them or potentially create a locker room with more disharmony."
Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers roster is in need of a center who can boost the performances of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love in the hardwood court. Rumors are rife that they are looking at signing Nerlens Noel for a minimum deal. Since league sources hint at the willingness of the Philadelphia 76ers star to be involved in an NBA trade, the idea of signing with the LeBron James squad could be attractive to the big man.
However, no comment has been made by any of the parties involved in the reported potential Nerlens Noel trade. Right now, all fans are sure about is the desire of the Philadelphia 76ers to unload one of their centers in the roster.
"We're not going to make a bad deal just to make a deal. I think we can be a better basketball team if we can distribute that talent better," said Bryan Colangelo.
The Philadelphia 76ers exec added, "Maybe take one of those assets and address other needs on the roster. I think right now it's best to say we like all of them, we want to see if we can make the most out of each of them. At the end of the day, the reality says one has to go at some point but only when the deal is right."
