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NBA Trade Rumors: Carmelo Anthony, Nerlens Noel, And Joakim Noah Latest News

By Phillip Dengler
Published on: 14:59 PST, Jan 12, 2017

The 2016-2017 NBA trade deadline is on February 23 at 3 p.m. ET, and rumors are swirling around some of the league’s most notable players. While numerous rumors are going to be coming out over the next month, the vast majority of them have little-to-no credibility.

Over the past few days, New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony, Philadelphia 76ers center Nerlens Noel, and Knicks center Joakim Noah have had their names thrown around in various scenarios. Are any of them legitimate? Here is the latest from NBA insiders and other trusted sources on each of those players.

Carmelo Anthony — New York Knicks

Anthony is now in his seventh season with the Knicks, and things have not gone as planned. Besides a fairly successful 2012-2013 season where the Knicks finished with 54 wins, the organization has not improved much since trading for Anthony in February of 2011. He consistently fills up the stat sheet, but he just does not make his teammates better.

In 38 games this year, Anthony is averaging 22.1 points, 3.1 assists, and six rebounds. Solid numbers, but the Knicks are 18-22, and they do not look like legitimate playoff contenders this season. They have missed the playoffs in each of the past three seasons, and the organization is in dire need of change. Kristaps Porzingis is viewed as the future of the franchise, and it would be in the Knicks’ best interest to start building around him.

Regardless, Anthony has all of the power. He has a no-trade clause, and he apparently does not want to leave the Knicks despite the team having little-to-no chance to make any noise in the playoffs. As Chicago Bulls guard Dwayne Wade tells the New York Daily News, Anthony is very likely to remain a member of the Knicks for the duration of this season.

“He loves it here. He loves being here. His family loves it here. And he wants to win here. He’s going to be here as long as they want him here — win, lose or draw.”

Whether or not Anthony changes his mind remains to be seen, but it is his decision. He is routinely connected to trade scenarios around the deadline every year, and the rumors are likely going to continue.

Nerlens Noel – Philadelphia 76ers

With a record of 11-25, the 76ers are not a good team, and that is actually just fine by them. They are in the ending stages of their rebuild, and they have a variety of young players with a lot of potential. They also have numerous draft picks, and they have a chance to obtain the Los Angeles Lakers first-round pick this year if it falls outside of the top three spots.

While the future is bright in Philadelphia, they have too many centers. Joel Embiid is finally healthy, and he is the organization’s franchise player. The problem is that they also have Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor, and none of them play particularly well together. Okafor is more talented on the offensive end than Noel, but his defense is extremely weak. Noel’s defense and ability to block shots far exceeds what Okafor is able to do, but his offensive game is limited.

Both players are young, so there is room for improvement. The issue is there are not enough minutes for all three of them. Okafor and Noel both views themselves as starters, and that is just not going to be possible in Philadelphia. While Noel’s defensive abilities may mesh better with Embiid, the relationship may still be doomed. In a series of tweets, Basketball Insiders‘ Steve Kyler claims that both Noel and the 76ers may be looking to move on from one another.

Whether or not the 76ers are able to move Noel for fair compensation remains to be seen. He has been involved in numerous trade rumors over the past year, and there should be interest from enough teams. Since he will become a restricted free agent after this season, teams may be reluctant to give up a ton for him.

Sporting News claims that the Lakers have expressed interest in trading for Noel, but it is unknown how serious they are. The Celtics have also been linked to Noel.

Joakim Noah – New York Knicks

At 31-years-old, Noah’s best days are probably behind him at this point. Despite being a solid presence in the locker room, his play is just not justifying his contract. While there may be some interest for him over the next month, it is unlikely that he ultimately gets moved, as Basketball Insiders reports.

“Given how Noah has played, it’s extremely unlikely anyone takes on his contract, even though Knicks sources say he’s been great to have around from a locker room and leadership point of view. The future of the Knicks franchise is Kristaps Porzingis, so there is no scenario in which he is moved. Courtney Lee could be a possible trade chip, but like Noah, he hasn’t exactly set the world on fire as a Knick, and he’s owed $36.75 million after this season.”

While Anthony, Noel, and Noah will likely all be connected to various rumors over the next month, Noel has the best chance of the three of actually being traded.

[Featured Image by Christian Petersen/Getty Images]

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