Former Sixers Nerlens Noel, Jerami Grant Could Reunite With Pistons

Former Sixers teammates Nerlens Noel and Jerami Grant could form a process reunion with the Pistons.

The days of the Philadelphia 76ers' oddly exciting process are long behind us. At this point, the Sixers are focused on building a team that's able to contend for a championship rather than bringing in young players with questionable futures. 

Although the process is technically done, a chunk of players around the league hold a soft spot in Sixers fans' hearts as they became fan-favorites during the dreadful days of losing and not having much to look forward to beyond the NBA Draft and its lottery night.

Detroit Pistons forward Jerami Grant is one of those players. The former Syracuse forward became a second-round selection for the Sixers during the 2014 NBA Draft. Grant played two full seasons in Philly before finding himself traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder two games into his third year.

From then on, Grant spent three seasons with the Thunder and really impressed following the 2018-2019 season. Before he started the final season of his contract, Grant was traded to the Denver Nuggets for a first-round pick.

In Denver, Grant established himself as an excellent rotational player averaging 12 points while shooting 39-percent from deep. After his stint with the Nuggets ended, Grant cashed out in free agency and became one of the very few star standouts on the Detroit Pistons as he averaged a career-high of 22 points per game last season.

Soon, Grant could be joined by a former process member. Veteran big man Nerlens Noel has had a similar path as his former teammate. After playing two full seasons in Philly to start his career, Noel found himself traded in year three. After spending some time in Dallas with the Mavericks, Noel eventually signed a two-year deal with the Thunder, where he linked with Grant for another season.

Unlike Grant, Noel didn't cash in on a multi-year deal through free agency. Instead, he signed a one-year, prove-it type deal with the New York Knicks, which worked out well for him. Proving he's still a reliable rebounder and rim-protector, Noel is expected to gain some notable interest in free agency this offseason.

According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, there are several teams looking into potentially acquiring the veteran big man, with the Pistons being one of them. Perhaps, Detroit has the upper hand in the battle. Considering they already have Grant on board, who remains close with Noel, we could see a process reunion in Detroit this offseason as Noel could be on his way out of New York.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.