NBA Trade Rumors: Pistons' Nerlens Noel Eyed by Celtics, 76ers, Heat, Mavs and More

Multiple teams have reached out to the Detroit Pistons regarding veteran center Nerlens Noel, according to The Athletic's James Edwards III.

Edwards reported the Miami Heat, Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings, Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics have all made calls to the Pistons ahead of Thursday's NBA trade deadline.

The level of interest in Noel reflects both his value and the likelihood he'll wind up in a different uniform at some point this season.

The 28-year-old has played only sparingly for Detroit, averaging 2.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in 11.4 minutes over 13 appearances. He's also making $9.2 million this season, with a $9.7 million club option for 2023-24.

The Pistons presumably won't pick up Noel's option based on his current usage, so getting anything back in a trade would yield more of a return than letting him walk as a free agent.

For a contending team, giving up a late second-round pick plus any salary filler for Noel may not be a bad deal.

In 25 games with the New York Knicks in 2021-22, the 6'11" big man held opponents to 54.9 percent shooting inside six feet, which was 10.7 percentage points below their usual average, per NBA.com. It was a similar story inside 10 feet as opponents shot 52.0 percent, 9.6 percent worse than normal.

Noel's impact on offense is limited. He has never had much range and hit double figures in scoring average just once to this point in his career.

But his rim protection is something that can be helpful for a team with title aspirations.

With many teams having Noel on their radar, the Pistons might be waiting only to see whether one offer blows them away before they finally decide on a swap.