Report: Raptors interested in Nerlens Noel

Philadelphia 76ers big man Nerlens Noel continues to be a popular name in the trade rumor mill, and now the Toronto Raptors may be throwing their hats into the ring.

According to Marc Stein of ESPN on Friday, the Raptors are among the teams that have expressed interest in Noel, who is said to be “very available.”

Noel, 22, has yet to play this season after undergoing a minor knee surgery in October. But he’s been on the trading block since at least May with the Sixers attempting to tidy up their bizarro frontcourt (a situation that even Noel himself has called “silly”).

The Raptors are down a big man in Jared Sullinger’s absence, but Stein also notes that the team would prefer to give those vacant minutes to some of their younger players like rookies Pascal Siakam and Jakob Poeltl. Noel is an excellent defensive big who could slot into the starting lineup or could come off the bench behind incumbent center Jonas Valanciunas. Whether Toronto wants to jostle a core that came within two wins of an NBA Finals appearance last season in order to acquire him remains to be seen.

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