Cleveland Cavaliers: Proposing a Trade for Nerlens Noel- Birdman's Replacement
Nov 2, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) drives past Philadelphia 76ers center Nerlens Noel (4) during the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center. The Cavaliers won 107-100. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
The Cleveland Cavaliers are at a need for a backup defensive big after the Chris Andersen injury, and Nerlens Noel could be their perfect target.
First Chris Andersen went down, and then just last Tuesday, J.R. Smith went down. These injuries will have the fans and critics wondering if a trade could be on the horizon, and a probably candidate for the Cleveland Cavaliers is the 76ers center Nerlens Noel.
“But the problem with Philadelphia’s logic here is thinking that the value for any of their players in this situation – and, specifically, for Noel and Jahlil Okafor, the two available bigs on the roster – is going to increase the longer they keep them around. If anything, the events of the past few days are an indication it’s only going to get worse from here.”
Chris “Birdman” Andersen was not a huge role in the Cavaliers daily gameplay, but his ability to rebound and defend the rim adequately will be missed. That is where talks about Nerlens Noel should be inserted.
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Noel’s best asset is his rim protection. The Cavaliers are fourteenth in the league in opponents points in the paint giving up 42.0 per game. Without a true rim protector, this number is outstanding, but just imaging the defensive benefits a player with Noel’s ability would bring.
With that said, I drafted together a possible trade, ran it through the trade machine, and will explain why each side would take it.
Dec 20, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Nerlens Noel (4) drives against Cleveland Cavaliers forward James Jones (1) during the fourth quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavs won 108-86. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
The Trade
Do you think this trade would be agreed upon by both sides? Tell us in the comments.
Another trade scenario. Thoughts? Add a second to Philly. pic.twitter.com/i1kinbMa7U
— Nathan Beighle (@NathanBeighle) December 21, 2016
The theme of this trade is desperation. I realize that the 76ers would be getting robbed, but at some point, either Noel or the fans will request a move from the 76ers front office and the Cavaliers could capitalize.
The 76ers would also receive a future second/first round pick from the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Nerlens Noel would step into an advanced role as the backup to Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love. He would help increase their back court depth and allow much better rim protection. With J.R. Smith out extended time, Iman Shumpert and Jordan McRae would be asked to play increased minutes also.
For the 76ers, Liggins would provide a nice defensive threat and potentially start over Gerald Henderson, and Mike Dunleavy would help give the 76ers a solid second string small forward behind Robert Covington and in front of Hollis Thompson.
With the depth charts adjusted, let’s take a deeper look at to why each team would do this trade.
Oct 18, 2016; Columbus, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard DeAndre Liggins (14) against the Washington Wizards at the Jerome Schottenstein Center. The Wizards won 96-91. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Why Philadelphia would do this trade.
Liggins is the key to this trade, and Dunleavy is somewhat just a toss in for salary cap purposes. The second round pick is also a nice benefit, but it could also be changed to a first if necessary.
DeAndre Liggins is a 6’6″ shooting guard that played at the University of Kentucky and is 28 years old. Just like a much smaller scale Stephen Curry, Liggins is finally finding his NBA spark later in his career and still has several good years left.
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The 76ers are at a loss for front court depth. They have just two small forwards in Hollis Thompson and Robert Covington, so adding two more versatile players would benefit them. With Joel Embiid being a force in the post, adding a shooter like Dunleavy to the mix would help space the floor even more and eliminate potential double teams that come Embiid’s way.
Liggins averages just 13.9 minutes per game now and has yet to show his full potential. While not a lethal shooter, Liggins would give the 76ers a reliable perimeter defender for years to come.
The 76ers have hesitated to just jump the gun on a trade even with the front court dilemma continuing to get worse. With the Cavaliers searching more for that missing big man, the talks between these teams might begin to start up in the near future.
Mar 29, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Nerlens Noel (4) walks off the court after an 87-86 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Why the Cavaliers Would Do It
This is just obvious. Who would not want a dominate rim protect that is being overshadowed by other big men?
The Cleveland Cavaliers, especially after the loss of Chris “Birdman” Andersen, will be looking to trade/sign rim protection. Along with a potential trade for Noel, players like Donatas Motiejunas, are options, but Noel is preferred. The Cavaliers would have every intention of taking any trade for Noel as long as they retain their core pieces.
Nerlens Noel, per 36 minutes last season, blocked 1.8 shots. While not overly impressive, his 6’11” frame and 3.4 defensive box plus/minues statistically would help persuade the Cavaliers. Nerlens is a valuable player in a bad situation. If he continues to not be content, the 76ers may be more likely to jump the gun on this trade.
This trade is a long shot, and the Cavaliers would most likely have to give up much more, so then the question begs: what would Cleveland give up? Let us know your thoughts on if the Cavs would give up enough for this alluring big.
