NBA Trade Rumors: Lakers’ Jordan Clarkson To 76ers, Nerlens Noel To Los Angeles

It appears that NBA trade rumors are going to continue to focus on Philadelphia 76ers center Nerlens Noel until he is finally dealt. It is already a foregone conclusion that the Sixers need to trade one of their three talented centers, but things are now getting acrimonious as Noel has begun to complain publicly about his lack of playing time. Yahoo! Sports reports that Noel vented his frustration to reporters after a recent home loss.

“I need to be on the court playing basketball. I think I’m too good to be playing eight minutes. That’s crazy,” Noel stated after the 76ers lost 100-89 to the Lakers. “That’s crazy. We need to figure this s*** out.”

It seems to be just a matter of time before Nerlens Noel is unloaded by Philadelphia, but his stock has recently slipped. Noel has not only been injured on-and-off throughout the early part of the season, but the Philly Voice published a piece in which one NBA insider (Adrian Wojnarowski) says that teams around the league are looking into Noel, and what they are finding isn’t positive.

“The research teams have done on him is not good. 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. There are teams willing to do a deal for him and bring him in but they don’t want to give up much. And so at some point there, Philly has got to make a decision, ‘What’s the best we can get for him?’ I think at some point he probably moves, too.”

There have been some rumblings that the Los Angeles Lakers may be interested in Nerlens Noel, as evidenced by reports such as this one from iSports Times. It’s clear that Noel is on the trading block, but it also appears that his value on the trade market has been diminishing. If the Lakers decide to make a move for Noel, how much would they be willing to give up?

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The latest NBA trade rumors are indicating that a deal between the Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers could be in the works. The rumored trade scenario has the Lakers acquiring Nerlens Noel in exchange for combo guard Jordan Clarkson. Clarkson signed a four-year, $50 million contract over the summer, which is much more than the $4.4 million annual salary that Noel is currently earning. However, the Sixers have over $16 million in salary cap room available, so this would be a legal trade (confirmed via the ESPN NBA Trade Machine).

The Los Angeles Lakers signed center Timofey Mozgov to a monster contract this past summer, and while he is a serviceable big man, he may not be the long-term answer at center for the Lakers. The fact that Los Angeles has committed so much money to Mozgov is a problem if the team decides to add another center to the roster, but it isn’t totally out of the question if the Lakers can obtain a quality big man without giving up any of their core pieces.

Jordan Clarkson adds value to the Lakers’ rotation, but he may never regain a starting spot with the team and he could be used in a trade if the right deal comes along. However, this might not be the offer that tempts general manager Mitch Kupchak to deal Clarkson. The team already has Mozgov at center, and Nerlens Noel has been injury-prone. The questions about Noel’s dedication and professionalism need to be considered, as well.

Current NBA trade rumors are buzzing about a potential deal between the Lakers and 76ers that would ship Jordan Clarkson to Philadelphia for Nerlens Noel. The Sixers would probably agree to this deal, as Clarkson would have more value to them than Noel does at this point. Los Angeles would have reason to consider this swap, but in the end, it appears that they would choose to say no to this rumored proposal.

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