76ers trade Noel to Mavericks
CAMDEN, N.J. >> As expected, the 76ers streamlined their center rotation just before the NBA trade deadline Thursday. Less expected was that it was Nerlens Noel, not Jahlil Okafor, who had to go.
Noel, 22, the fourth-year center and former NBA All-Rookie team performer, was dealt to the Dallas Mavericks for Andrew Bogut, Justin Anderson and a first-round draft choice with multiple layers of protection.
When the deal was completed during the Sixers’ practice Thursday, Noel literally was waved off the floor. He was seen later hugging teammates and team employees in a portion of the Camden practice facility inaccessible to the press, then vanished.
“We talked about it in the meeting this morning,” Brett Brown said after practice. “To take Nerlens out of practice, the players understand. It didn’t catch anybody wildly off guard. But when it actually happens, there is a human side of this that is sad.”
Though he had created a stir during training camp, predicting that sharing a center rotation with Joel Embiid, Okafor would not work, Noel had been at peace with the situation in recent weeks and had said he would accept whatever would happen. What happened was that he was dealt for, among other things, Bogut, also a center, who is regressing late in his career and is expected to accept a buyout from the Sixers.
The Sixers also acquired Anderson, a second-year guard. Noted for his defense, Anderson averaged 5.1 points in 106 games for the Mavs. Also, the Sixers could gain Dallas’ first-round draft choice this season. Yet if that pick falls within the top 18 of the draft, which is likely, it will be downgraded to two second-round picks, one in each of the next two seasons.
Bryan Colangelo, the team president, did not address the trade, but will meet the media Friday, after the Sixers’ morning shootround in Camden. The Sixers will host the Washington Wizards Friday night at 7 p.m. With Noel gone and Embiid being declared unavailable for at least four more games due to lingering knee injuries, Okafor and Richaun Holmes will be Brown’s centers, with Dario Saric available if necessary.
“When they took him out of practice, I didn’t know what was going on,” Embiid said. “And then the coach told us about it at the end. I will talk to him.”
Also Thursday, the Sixers confirmed that they traded Ersan Ilyasova to the Atlanta Hawks, clearing more playing opportunities for Saric, the Rookie of the Year candidate.
In exchange for Ilyasova, the Sixers acquired center Tiago Splitter, a second-round draft pick and an option to swap another second-round pick with Atlanta. The 6-11 Splitter, from Brazil, was a first-round draft pick of the Spurs in 2007 and played in all 23 playoff games, starting 18, as the Spurs won the 2014 championship. He is a sixyear veteran with career averages of eight points and five rebounds, but he has been active due to hamstring and calf injuries.
“I want to thank Ersan Ilyasova for his positive contributions to this organization both on and off the basketball court,” Colangelo said in a statement. “Ersan is a true professional whose daily examples of hard work, focus and consistency have helped facilitate the ongoing growth of our program and culture.”
The Sixers acquired Ilyasova and a first-round 2020 draft pick from Oklahoma City Nov. 1 in exchange for Jerami Grant. The 6-10 forward added length in the frontcourt and was a productive outside shooter, making 40 starts and averaging 15 points and six rebounds while shooting 44 percent from the field. But, he was on an expiring contract and in many ways was considered a placeholder for the position destined to be manned by Saric.
“Personally, it is hard for me,” said Saric of the Ilyasova trade. “I lost some kind of mentor, who plays somewhat like me, who came from Europe to the NBA and the biggest stage. He had a lot of advice for me. He tried to help me during the game and after the game. And we had a good relationship. We had so many dinners together, talking about the team, talking about future plans.”
The Sixers will receive the second-round pick the Hawks owned via Miami in the upcoming draft. Also, the Sixers gained the right to exchange the 2017 pick they received from Utah for Atlanta’s 2017 secondround pick.
Bogut, from Australia, is averaging 3.0 points in his 12th NBA season. Among the Mavs intrigued by the Noel trade was Dirk Nowitzki.