Everyone in the universe knows he's walking when the contract is up.
Nah. That premise is based on the illogical idea that Philly would let him get to free agency and let him walk. It's always been nonsense.
He's a restricted free agent. Whichever team he's on owns his rights and can match any offer he'd receive. If Philly is content to build a team without Noel, they'll just trade him prior to the deadline... or, they'll let this drag out even longer by matching any offer he gets in free agency and trading him later next season to one of the many teams that continue to show interest in him.
This is just nonsense. They'll end up trading him almost assuredly, but unless Embiid or Okafor both go down, they're simply not going to resign him. He's going to get near-max offers. It's as simple as that, and they're simply not going to pay him that when he'll essentially be their third string center with how they use him. It'll be an Evan Turner situation like we had this summer.
Plus, they'll ruin their relationship with virtually every agent and player in the league by doing that. That's just not how it works in the NBA where relationships are important.
I am not sure if LB was joking or not, but yes the idea of the 76ers keeping him in purgatory for 2 years in the hope of getting a slightly better asset for him (this year and next year on a qualifying option) is not how the NBA works. He doesn't want to be there and they are not going to want to keep a guy around that doesn't want to be there.
These things have a way of working themselves out, but the idea that he is staying there (bothering serious embiid setback and an okafor trade) is not how it will.
They either take what they can get or keep him. There's no scenario where letting him walk for nothing is a better move than cashing in. Multiple teams including the Celtics are willing to give up assets for Noel. You don't pass up free assets. Bottom line.
If he signs a big contract this offseason they match him just to be stubborn? Is this what you are suggesting?
If someone is willing to give him a big contract, it proves there's a big market for him. So yeah, you'd have to match and then shop him later.
The magic sort of did this with Tobias Harris right?
Yes. Exactly. Harris didn't fit into their long-term vision. It made more sense to retain him and trade him later for whatever they could get. Letting him walk for nothing was bad business. Same situation here.
That said, I expect Noel to be moved before the deadline. It just might be closer to February than November.
It was different with Harris due to the size of max contracts.
Harris could not be signed for more than 16 mil. With the foreseen cap inflation Orlando knew that no matter what they paid Tobias Harris, it would be under his market value. Thus they brought him back and his contract became a plus. Unfortunately despite his plus contract and the fact that the Magic actually kinda did have room for him on the roster, other teams took advantage of the Magic's need to trade Tobias Harris and the Magic got absolutely ripped off.
Same type of thing could happen with Noel. Difference is, Philly will have even less leverage and with the no-longer inflating cap (i read it will actually deflate a bit) along with Noels injury history, it could well become a really difficult contract to move.
In fact, I think Noel would rather sign the QO and get to leave as a UFA rather than resign in which case hed be an expiring without RFA rights on a team that he hates being on with a bunch of other bigs that also hate that he is on the team.
Thats not a great business decision for Philly.
Topic: Washburn : C's interested in Nerlens Noel (Read 17739 times)