Restricted free agent Nerlens Noel has signed a $4.1 million qualifying offer to return to the Dallas Mavericks, according to ESPN's Chris Haynes. Haynes refuted any rumors of a $17 million offer being made to the 6-foot-11 big man.
Contrary to Haynes' prior refutal, colleague Adrian Wojnarowski noted that Noel previously declined a four-year, $70 million deal, which is a $17.5 million annual salary.
Noel is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and must consent to any trade this season or will risk losing his bird rights, according to ESPN Insider Bobby Marks.
Noel has only averaged 10 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks throughout his short career in the league, and while switching agents to Rich Paul of Klutch Sports would give him a more prominent outlook, the big man's numbers are still not as high as they should be to command a bigger sum for his services.
His return to Dallas should give him another season to prove his value to the rest of the NBA, either fetching a trade offer from a team willing to add him to their roster or playing out the season in hopes to yield a more lucrative contract as an unrestricted free agent next offseason.
Noel served as the glue piece at the center position after the departure of Andrew Bogut, allowing Dirk Nowitzki to slide back to his natural power forward slot. He averaged 8.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game last season during his 12 starts in 22 appearances with the Mavericks.
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