Alley OOPS?! Rumors Mounting that Nerlens Noel Is 1st To Go

Apr 10, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Nerlens Noel (4) dunks during the third quarter of the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Wells Fargo Center. The Milwaukee Bucks won 109-108 in OT. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports

Alley OOPS?! Rumors Mounting that Nerlens Noel Is 1st To Go

Some were unprepared for the first rumor with NBA confirmation, the Sixers are negotiating the trade of Nerlens Noel

We have to come to grips with the reality that we won’t have all these young stars on the roster going forward. Despite the accolades and awards, the 2015-2016 Philadelphia 76ers’ players won more hearts of the fans than they won games on the basketball court.

Bryan Colangelo is here to change all that.

We’ve talked about what that means before, and tried to prepare the fans for what is coming. Trades. Plenty of them. Some will hurt.

But if you are anything like me, no trade of any current player will come without the sting of watching a young man wrested away from the likely the first and only NBA experience he’s known – away from his friends, his supporting staff, and most of all his head coach Brett Brown. All will hurt. But as the song says “the first cut is the deepest”.

As the Philadelphia 76ers try to absorb the message of the potential trade of center Nerlens Noel to the Atlanta Hawks for point guard Jeff Teague, many will see the trade of two head on NBA players. But there are underlying currents on both teams.

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On the side of the Atlanta Hawks, the trade rumors signifies their willingness to place the future of the team in the hands of a younger point guard, Dennis Schroder. Schroder was the name discussed at the 2016 trade deadline in connection to the Philadelphia 76ers, because at that time the Atlanta Hawks would not listen to any offers for Teague, but did consider Schroder.

Things have changed.

After that trade failed to occur, the story continued on to suggest that both teams would revisit a trade in the off-season. There was some debate after president Sam Hinkie’s resignation from the Sixers whether the matter would even be pursued in this off-season. But the Atlanta Hawks were swept for their third time by a LeBron James team, and they believe that a rim protector of the Nerlens Noel variety could be enough to place them over the top.

The rumored move of Nerlens Noel is quite telling on the Sixers side as well. In the pursuit of trading Nerlens Noel, the move suggests that the team will not try to retain free agent point guard Ish Smith, that the team is actively shopping for back court help, and that the likelihood of the team trading Jahlil Okafor is less likely than before.

We have been reporting that the Philadelphia 76ers are truly acting as though Joel Embiid is fully healthy, and ready to take the NBA by storm this season. But if the team is actively thinning the front court now, the pressure is solidly on the pair of Bryan Colangelo and Brett Brown to recruite Dario Saric to join the Philadelphia 76ers this season, and to select a can’t miss player with the first pick of the NBA draft.

Noel is still a work in progress on the offensive side of the ball, but defensively was a standout – able to react with lightning speed and block shots with either hand. While his offense was not the wheelhouse of Noel, he was fun to watch with Ish Smith distributing the alley oop to Noel. Moving Noel this early in the off-season suggests that the Philadelphia 76ers have either made up their mind, or Bryan Colangelo is feeling the pressure to make any move that he’s running with the first offer he is getting. Since the Sixers truly cannot know the true potential of their young players this soon, I fear it’s the latter.

Now that Noel appears to be officially on the block to the Hawks, the likelihood of seeing the patented Smith to Noel alley oop is likely a thing of the past. This is surely just the first change of many coming down the road. If the team gets Teague in the back court, that will set up the team for the influx of Embiid, Saric, and Simmons. After this move, the Sixers only have a true vacancy at the shooting guard spot.

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Teague could be a bridge player, and with T.J.McConnell on the bench and with the anticipated arrival of Ben Simmons, would likely merely need to play the last year of his contract to fit the 76ers needs. But ideally, he will come in and lead the team well enough to warrant another contract from the Sixers.