Personally, I don’t think that Sixers president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo has a problem deciding which of the glut of young big men his team is inevitably going to have to trade.
Since before last season’s trade deadline, I’ve said the Sixers should cut bait with center Nerlens Noel and package him in a deal for either a promising, young scoring wing or point guard.
Nothing has changed my opinion except that Noel has lost another year off his rookie contract, meaning he could become a free agent next summer.
Anything can happen in sports, but negotiating a mega-deal contract extension in less than two weeks is not likely.
That it has reached this point probably points to the fact that the Sixers, Noel or both are not all that interested in getting something done. NBA teams don’t make a habit of letting 22-year-old, athletic centers get to the brink of free agency if they see them as part of the future.
Considering the Sixers have the lowest payroll in the league at $69.5 million, they can pay Noel and still have plenty of salary cap space.
But with the money for the NBA’s new television contract pushing the salary cap up significantly over the summer, salaries for players jumped accordingly.
Under normal circumstances, Noel would not be worth some of the ridiculous deals handed out to mediocre players – such as the Los Angeles Lakers giving 30-year-old former Cleveland Cavaliers center Timofey Mozgov, who averaged 6.3 points and 4.4 rebounds, a 4-year deal worth $64 million.
Noel has averaged 10.5 points and 8.1 rebounds in two seasons.
The market says he’s likely eyeing a deal closer to the 4-year, $100 million that Giannis Antetokounmpo signed for last month with the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Sixers can’t do that – not for Noel.
In theory, having three talented young centers might look good until you look at the future salary cap implications. With Noel, 2014 lottery pick Joel Embiid and 2015 lottery pick Jahlil Okafor, the Sixers acquired young centers from three consecutive drafts.
Despite missing his first two seasons because of injury, Embiid will be in the same situation next October. If Embiid is healthy enough to start fulfilling his potential, the Sixers will likely have to offer him at least $100 million.
Then in October 2018, it will be Okafor’s turn to go to the bank teller.
No team, especially one that is under a massive rebuilding job such as the Sixers, can afford to invest $250 million to $300 million in centers – not if it hopes to retain or acquire decent talent at other positions.
The Sixers could offer Noel a qualifying salary, which would make him a restricted free agent and give the team right of first refusal. Still, that would just be letting another team determine how overinflated Noel’s contract will be.
The reality hasn’t changed from what the Sixers knew last May: They have to move one of their centers.
It still should be Noel, and it should be done as quickly as possible.
