At the 2017 NBA trade deadline, the Dallas Mavericks acquired Nerlens Noel from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Andrew Bogut, Justin Anderson, and a 2017 protected first round pick. In 22 appearances, Noel averaged 8.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks in 22.0 minutes.
When Noel became a restricted free agent on July 1, there were expectations he would re-sign with the Mavericks. A month later, the two sides have not come to an agreement and Dirk Nowitzki shared his thoughts on the ‘unfortunate' situation with Eddie Sefko of Sports Day:
“We're looking forward to the future and the whole Noel situation is a little unfortunate I think,” Nowitzki said. “We traded for him to keep him for the long run. I'm not sure what the latest is there, but I'm hoping that things will work out and he's coming back to the Mavs and we'd have a crew that at times can be very athletic — when I'm out of the game.”
After winning the 2011 NBA Finals, the Mavericks have either acquired or signed players on one-year deals to preserve cap space in free agency. When they acquired Noel, it appeared Dallas finally had a player they were willing to commit to on a long-term deal following Harrison Barnes.
Despite selecting Dennis Smith Jr. with the ninth overall pick in this year's draft, it appears the Mavericks will continue their rebuilding process. As Nowitzki hopes the situation will be resolved, he recently signed a two-year, $10 million deal with a team option to return for his 20th season.
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