The February trade deadline is drawing closer with each passing day and the rumor mills are buzzing once again. Rumored trade talks are everywhere in the NBA. The latest rumored trade involves Philadelphia 76ers center Nerlens Noel being traded to the Toronto Raptors.
According to the proposed trade, Nerlens Noel will be shipped by the Philadelphia 76ers to the Toronto Raptors. The Toronto Raptors, in return, will give up shooting guard/small forward Terrence Ross and point guard Corey Joseph. If this proposed deal pushes through, both the Toronto Raptors and the Philadelphia 76ers will surely benefit from this deal.
In acquiring Nerlens Noel, the Toronto Raptors will get the inside presence that was clearly lacking in the previous seasons. For three straight years, the Toronto Raptors have made the NBA playoffs. And for three straight years, the Toronto Raptors has fallen short each time. Last year, the Toronto Raptors even reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history. But the Raptors were eventually eliminated by LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
With the addition of Nerlens Noel, the Toronto Raptors are hoping that Nerlens Noel would finally be the missing piece that would propel them on top of the Eastern Conference and finally beat LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Nerlens Noel played his first game of the season last Sunday since having knee surgery last October. The 22 year old 6'11" center had 8 points, zero rebounds and 1 steal in 10 minutes of action in a 97-79 win against the Detroit Pistons. Despite the win, Nerlens Noel left the game before half time because of a sprained ankle and did not return. That pretty much sums up the frustrating year of Nerlens Noel.
The Philadelphia 76ers, on the other hand, would be free of the logjam at their center position. By trading away Nerlens Noel, the Philadelphia 76ers now have a solid frontline rotation of Joel Embiid, Jahlil Okafor and Ersan Ilyasova. With the addition of two very reliable players in Corey Joseph and Terrence Ross, together with Ben Simmons, the Philadelphia 76ers would also have a solid rotation in the backcourt. Finally, after years of disappointing seasons, the future looks bright for the Philadelphia 76ers.
