If this summer in the NBA had a tagline, it might just be “Joyeux Noel.”
According to a report by Jake Fischer of Sports Illustrated on Thursday, the Houston Rockets have pitched the Philadelphia 76ers on a package centered around Trevor Ariza and Patrick Beverley in exchange for Nerlens Noel.
In preliminary trade talks, Houston pitched the Sixers a package involving Trevor Ariza and Patrick Beverley for Nerlens Noel, per source.
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) June 23, 2016
Noel, 22, has been a popular commodity so far this offseason with many teams (including the Celtics and the Hawks) showing interest in trading for him after he was recently made available by the Sixers. The former Kentucky Wildcat is the rare defensive talent capable of defending 1 through 5 on the court and anchoring a defense by functioning as a paint protector.
But it’s unclear where Noel might potentially fit in on the Rockets. Though Dwight Howard is likely catching the next plane out of Houston, Noel is still too undersized to log significant time at the 5. He is also relatively limited offensively which makes him a suboptimal play at the 4 for the Rockets who have long preferred to play stretch-bigs like Terrence Jones and Donatas Motiejunas at that position. The presence of burgeoning two-way force Clint Capela complicates the frontcourt situation as well.
The Sixers might not care much for Beverley (a defensive hound who can’t really make plays or penetrate off-the-dribble) or Ariza (a useful piece as a rangy 3-and-D combo forward but one who might represent much more than the difference between a 17-win team and a 20-win team) either. It would probably be a shocker to see such a trade come to fruition.
