11 Players who turned their back on the Dallas Mavericks

1. Nerlens Noel

During the 2016-17 NBA season, the Dallas Mavericks traded for Philadelphia 76ers big man Nerlens Noel. Dallas gave up Andrew Bogut, Justin Anderson, and a protected first-round pick. The Mavs made this deal with the goal of signing him on a long contract that summer, but Noel's time in Dallas got weird quickly.

In his first season with the team, Noel averaged 8.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game. This was a solid season for Noel, especially being a mid-season trade acquisition, but a decision that Noel made that summer as a restricted free agent changed everything.

The Mavs offered Noel a four-year, $70 million contract, and Noel and his camp denied this deal and pushed for a max contract. Dallas didn't want to pay that, and he ended up re-signing with Dallas on a qualifying offer.

This was an awful decision by Noel, and Dallas should be thankful that they didn't sign him on a long-term contract. Noel was not a major piece of the rotation and opted to get surgery on his thumb when he probably didn't need surgery. He was also suspended for violating the NBA's anti-drug policy.

Noel and Rick Carlisle also didn't seem to get along very well, as Noel didn't know why he was removed from the rotation and even went to the media dining room during halftime of a game to get a hot dog.

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