Reasons why 76ers got so little for Nerlens Noel emerge

The Philadelphia 76ers traded 2013 lottery pick Nerlens Noel on Thursday, and they didn’t get a huge haul in return.

Noel, once the No. 6 pick, netted the 76ers a bench player in Justin Anderson, a first round pick that reportedly may turn into a pair of second rounders, and Andrew Bogut, who will be traded or bought out by Philadelphia. Noel may not be a star, but he has career averages of 10.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.

The reason for the weak return, according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, is Noel’s looming restricted free agency.

Team had trouble generating a market for Noel w/ pending restricted free agency status and potential near-max offer sheets expected.

— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) February 23, 2017

That restricted free agency was cited as a possible stumbling block for a trade when Noel rumors first started popping up. Essentially, teams may feel there is no reason to give up a lot for Noel now when they can try to sign him after the season. And you have to have a lot of confidence in Noel’s value if you’re planning to pay him near-max money while giving up assets for him.

Philly made the deal anyway and they didn’t get a whole lot in return, but it seems likely that they just really wanted to move one of their big men.