Dallas Mavericks: Looking back at the Nerlens Noel trade

Former Dallas Mavericks big man Nerlens Noel departed for Oklahoma City this offseason, and that provides an opportunity to look back at the trade that brought him to Dallas.

The Dallas Mavericks made a trade in February 2017 that was widely lauded at the time.  The Mavs made a deal for promising Philadelphia 76ers big man Nerlens Noel.

Today, we take a hard look at that transaction in retrospect.  Noel has moved on by signing a two-year minimum deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder.  Was the trade as big a success as it seemed in the moment?

The deal

Dallas receives: Nerlens Noel

Philadelphia receives: Andrew Bogut, Justin Anderson, Dallas’ 2017 second round pick, Dallas’ 2020 second round pick

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Noel with the Mavs

Nerlens Noel’s stay in Dallas lasted just one and half seasons.  He is still only 24 years old, but never quite found his footing with the Mavs.

Noel played just 52 games total with Dallas and averaged 18.4 minutes per game.  The stat line reads 6.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 1.0 steal, 0.9 blocks, and 0.9 turnovers per game on 55.2 percent from the field and 72.4 percent on his free throws.

His time in Dallas may be best remembered for his infamous hot dog incident and the subsequent suspension that followed.  Things did not work out the way the Mavericks hoped, but the trade still looks like a wise move.

The Sixers return

The return that Philadelphia received has not amounted to much as of this writing.

Andrew Bogut never played for the Sixers.  He was bought out and signed with Cavs before suffering a season-ending injury in his first game in Cleveland.

Justin Anderson played sparingly for Philadelphia averaging 16.7 minutes over 62 games.  Anderson was traded to the Hawks this offseason.

The Sixers traded the first of their two second-round picks to the Clippers for cash.  The second selection is still to come in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Summary

Essentially, the Mavericks traded away Justin Anderson for Nerlens Noel who at the time was a promising young big man just needing more minutes to flourish.  Noel did not work out in Dallas, but this is the type of trade the Mavs should make ten times out of ten.  Acquire a promising young piece for a glut of reserve talent and second-round picks any time that is possible.

Final thoughts

Despite Nerlens Noel not working out with the Dallas Mavericks their 2017 deal to acquire him was still a wise move.  The front office traded for a promising piece and gave away a bench wing, an aging center, and two second-round draft choices.  That is a shrewd move any time a team can make it.

It will be interesting to see how Noel performs in Oklahoma City.  The big man is still young and oozing potential, but the minutes will be difficult to come by playing behind Steven Adams.  Can Noel keep focused and flourish in a bench role?  Only time will tell that tale, so stay tuned.

Next: 6 available free agents the Mavs should target

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