Nerlens Noel may be about to become Nerlen$$$ Noel this offseason.
According to a report by Mike Fisher of Scout.com on Monday, “multiple” teams may be willing to sign the Dallas Mavericks impending restricted free agent big man to a max offer sheet. Fisher also adds that, assuming a $101 million cap for next season, a max for Noel could be worth up to $146.45 million over five years with a starting salary of $25.25 million.
Noel, 23, averaged 8.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in 2016-17. He was dealt to Dallas from the Philadelphia 76ers at the trade deadline.
While his counting stats may be modest, Noel is a transformative and versatile defensive presence who can blow up pick-and-rolls, switch onto guards above the arc, and protect the rim at a top-tier level. He still has a lot of time to improve offensively as well, and there’s an argument to be made that Noel could be worth the max given the bloated contracts that aging, below-average bigs like Timofey Mozgov, Ian Mahinmi, and Joakim Noah got last summer.
The Mavericks can obviously match any offer sheet that Noel is signed to. But with other free agent targets on the table and the fact that they acquired Noel for the measly cost of Justin Anderson and two second-rounders, it’s worth wondering how high Dallas may be willing to go to retain him.
Image via Nerlens Noel on Instagram
