NBA Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz on Nerlens Noel, John Wall and More
The further we get into the 2016-17 NBA season, the more the rumor mill seems to speed up.
The latest factor in accelerating the mill is that we've now passed an important date for trade rumors. After Dec. 15, teams are allowed to trade players they signed this past summer, which makes it easier to put together multiple-player deals.
With that being the case, it could now be easier to move guys who've been in the rumor mill for months. Take Philadelphia 76ers big man Nerlens Noel, for example. Everyone can see that Philly can't move forward with all of its big men, but it may have been difficult to assemble the right package with so many players off the table.
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That's no longer an issue, but a new one may be creeping up in Noel's case.
Others who've recently found themselves as the subjects of trade rumors include the Washington Wizards' John Wall, the Detroit Pistons' Reggie Jackson and Stanley Johnson and the Cleveland Cavaliers' Chris Andersen.
Potential Suitors Wary of Nerlens Noel?
For months, Noel has been the most vocal of Philly's big men in regard to his discontent over the crowded 76ers frontcourt.
Jessica Camerato of CSN Philly shared the center's latest opining:
But it may not be as easy as just shipping Noel off to the first team that needs a defensive-minded big man.
"Nerlens Noel in Philly, the research teams have done on him is not good," The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski said on The Vertical Podcast with Woj (h/t NBC Sports' Dan Feldman). "They don't get good reports back on their intel, how he's carried himself there, of his habits. It's not a great return. So, there are teams willing to do [a] deal and bring him in, but they don't want to give up much."
If Noel wants to get out of Philly and into a role where he plays more than eight minutes a night, the best course of action may be putting on a happy face and trying to rehab what appears to be a damaged image around the league.
A Pair of Eastern Conference Point Guards Available?
With Detroit at .500 and Washington below it, both teams may be looking at the first third of the season as a bit of an underachievement. As such, they may be willing to move their point guards, per USA Today's Larry Berger:
On the Jackson front, Detroit has struggled to assimilate him back into the rotation after missing all but seven games with an injury. Since his return, the Pistons are being outscored by 3.4 points per 100 possessions when Jackson is on the floor, per NBA.com. They're outscoring opponents by 2.4 points per 100 possessions when Jackson isn't on the floor this season.
The same splits for backup Ish Smith show that the team is just 0.2 points worse per 100 possessions with him on the floor.
Following his breakout season in 2015-16, though, it's tough to justify cutting ties with Jackson after a couple of less-than-perfect weeks. It takes time to get back up to speed.
As for Wall, trading him seems hasty, too. Washington is struggling to live up to expectations for the second year in a row. But it's tough to blame that on Wall.
He's 18th in the NBA in box plus/minus, per Basketball-Reference.com, and at age 26, he's still young enough to be a franchise centerpiece. The better option may be exploring what kind of returns players like Markieff Morris or Bradley Beal could bring.
Cleveland Exploring Options with Chris Andersen
Following a torn ACL that will cost Cavs big man Chris Andersen the rest of this season, the team is exploring options for parting ways with him.
ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst tweeted that a trade may be on the table:
Perhaps a team interested in someone else on Cleveland's roster would be willing to take on Andersen's contract to grease the wheels in a trade.
