Mavs One of 'Most Engaged' Teams for Pistons' Nerlens Noel Trade

Could the Dallas Mavericks have a reunion with Noel in the works? We now have multiple reports linking Dallas to the Detroit Pistons' big man.

Michael Mulford | Dec 13, 2022

The Dallas Mavericks have been named in several NBA trade rumors as trade season is rapidly cranks up.

One of those rumors includes a potential reunion with former Maverick and current Detroit Pistons center Nerlens Noel.

First reported by SNY's Ian Begley on Dec. 8, the Mavericks 'touched base' with the Pistons in efforts to improve their rebounding and rim protection.

In a recent report from The Athletic's James L. Edwards III on Tuesday, the Mavericks are among the 'most engaged' teams regarding a potential trade for Noel.

League sources, who were granted anonymity so that they could speak freely, have told The Athletic that the Pistons are looking to move the veteran big man. Both sides have agreed that a deal is best for both parties, and Detroit has already had talks with rival teams about Noel. Portland, Sacramento, Miami and Dallas have been the teams most engaged when it comes to acquiring the 28-year-old.

Edwards noted that, along with Dallas being engaged in the veteran center, Portland, Sacramento, and Miami have also shown interest.

Though, Noel isn't the only big man that the Mavs have been linked to. Dallas has been mentioned to have interest in Atlanta's John Collins, who has found himself in trade rumors for essentially his entire career.

Noel has only played in six games so far this season, as he finds himself behind the youth movement in Detroit, averaging just 1.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. The 28-year-old has also been battling foot and knee soreness throughout the first quarter of the season.

The first go-around with Dallas and Noel didn't work out as planned back in 2017-18, but this time around could be different with a new regime – and Luka Doncic – at the helm. The need for Noel's defense at the rim is vast and finding chemistry with Doncic in the pick-and-roll would be easy to build upon ... at least in theory.

Trading for Noel is about as low risk, high reward for the Mavericks as it gets when it comes to a potential big man upgrade over JaVale McGee, leaving them with the majority of their trade assets to improve the roster elsewhere.

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Published Dec 13, 2022

MICHAEL MULFORD

Michael Mulford is a writer/editor for Dallas Basketball, where he extensively covers the Dallas Mavericks. He also covers the Chicago Bulls as the Managing Editor for Bulls Wire of USA Today Sports Media Group. Mulford grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and graduated from the University of North Texas in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in Recreation, Event, and Sports Management. He began his pursuit of sports writing in 2017 with Dallas Sports Fanatic, where he covered the Mavericks’ G League affiliate, Texas Legends. He then became the Managing Editor of Dallas Sports Fanatic just one year later and has covered the Mavericks as a credentialed media member since 2018, including covering numerous playoff games between 2021-22 and covering the team at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas in 2019. In his time covering the Mavericks, Mulford has conducted numerous interviews for exclusive stories including with Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki, former Maverick and current VP of Basketball Ops Michael Finley, former Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson, and more. You can follow and interact with Mulford on Twitter at @TheMulf.