Dallas Acquired Former Lottery Center Nerlens Noel at the Deadline
On February 23, 2017, Philadelphia traded young center Nerlens Noel to Dallas. The 76ers received wing Justin Anderson, veteran center Andrew Bogut and conditional future draft picks. The principal 2017 condition involved a first-rounder protected through No. 18 that instead became second-round consideration; the inherited record also identifies a protected 2020 second. Those selections were eventually associated with No. 39 Jawun Evans in 2017 and No. 48 Nico Mannion in 2020, although their subsequent rights chains require independent attribution. Dallas wanted a mobile rim protector to evaluate next to its developing guards, while Philadelphia was reallocating frontcourt minutes around Joel Embiid and its other recent lottery selections. The bargain involved real draft conditions, not only a player swap.
Noel Supplied a Useful but Incomplete Mavericks Trial
Noel played 22 Dallas regular-season games after the 2017 deadline, starting 12 and averaging about 8.5 points and 6.8 rebounds with active rim protection. Dallas could examine his athleticism and finishing, but his restricted free agency the next summer complicated the franchise’s ability to lock in the arrangement. In 2017-18 his Mavericks role shrank amid injury and playing-time disputes, and he eventually departed for Oklahoma City. The inherited C+ grade accounts for a promising frontcourt experiment that never became a long-term starting-center foundation. Noel’s later rebounding and shot blocking with the Thunder and Knicks must not be credited to Dallas. The first partial season offered encouraging actual play, yet the overall value fell short of what the Mavericks might have envisioned for a former high lottery choice.
Philadelphia Retained a Young Wing and Draft Flexibility
Anderson brought the 76ers a younger defensive wing, playing regular minutes during the rest of 2016-17 and returning the following season. Bogut, an experienced championship center acquired principally as salary-matching consideration, did not become a long-term Philadelphia rotation player. The protected draft package gave the Sixers additional assets to select or exchange as they rebuilt around their young stars. Philadelphia’s inherited B grade is numerically higher than Dallas’s C+, even though the original verdict reads Slight Mavericks Edge. That conflict deserves its own grading review rather than a silent rewrite; the factual comparison is a short Noel trial against Anderson and conditional pick value. The 2017 and 2020 draft-right outcomes need to be traced separately instead of treating all named picks as full Philadelphia NBA playing careers.
Final Verdict
Slight Mavericks Edge in the inherited winner label, despite grades of Dallas C+ and Philadelphia B. Dallas acquired Nerlens Noel for a 22-game initial center trial, while Philadelphia received Justin Anderson, Andrew Bogut and conditional draft selections associated with 2017 No. 39 Jawun Evans and 2020 No. 48 Nico Mannion. The contradictory winner and grades warrant a separate audit.