NBA Free Agency: Problem child Nerlens Noel offers assets OKC need

Money talks

Last year, Nerlens Noel made $4.1-million. He enters a summer in which most teams are strapped for cash. In terms of production, and potential production his yearly salary should probably be around seven or eight million dollars.

That is far less than the $17.5-million annually the Mavs offered Noel last summer, but a ton has changed since then. He will also be battling guys like DeMarcus Cousins, Jabari Parker, Aron Baynes, Julius Randle, Alex Len, and DeAndre Jordan for cash. Not to mention the likes of LeBron James, and Paul George.

For the Oklahoma City Thunder, they sit 29-out-of-30 (according to Spotrac) in Practical Cap Space entering the summer, with little-to-no room for flexibility. Even if the OKC Thunder dump Carmelo Anthony who recently opted in, they will have to take on a big contract or two. The OKC Thunder could part with big man Steven Adams, making their roster worse.

The last option is parting with Andre Roberson who is trying to recover from an injury. That leaves OKC out of the discussion for top tier guys (excluding of course PG13). It leaves the door wide-open for a potential Nerlens Noel-OKC Thunder pairing.

Summer work-out watch:

Does Nerlens Noel fit in Oklahoma City?

While Sam Presti is known for keeping hot headed, cancers out of the OKC Thunder locker room. Would Nerlens Noel be worth taking a flyer on?

The OKC Thunder desperately need a back up big man, more specifically a center. Swiss Army knife Jerami Grant can cover spots two through five on the floor, if he returns to bricktown. Patrick Patterson is a solid player, but got exposed last season when having to back-up Steven Adams.

Patterson is strictly a power forward, and adding Noel or any other center helps elevate his game. Carmelo Anthony might not even be on the roster come October, but he also does not fit at the five.

Pros and Cons:

Head coach Billy Donovan runs more of a free flowing offense, especially if Paul George returns alongside Russell Westbrook. That leaves Nerlens Noel to be able to utilize his best skill sets, that are listed above. The back-up unit craves a rim-protecting rebounder and if given consistent chances that is what Noel could provide.

On the flip side, Billy Donovan is known to get…creative with his minutes. That leaves a lot of fans scratching their heads wondering why this guy or that guy “is not playing enough.” Nerlens Noel would not wonder that about himself quietly.

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If he feels he needs more time on the floor, everyone will know about it, and his production could suffer. This would take extreme minutes managing by Donovan something he does not like. The Thunder head man loves to be flexible and throw different minutes to different guys night-in-and-night-out. That is something hard to see Noel enjoying.

One last con would be respect. Billy Donovan has been criticized for “not having a back bone.” At times it may appear the stars of OKC walk all over him. Even if that is just media and fan speculation, it is no secret Donovan is not thought of in the same light as Rick Carlisle.

If Nerlens Noel is so comfortable showing up a hall of fame level head coach, what would he do to Billy Donovan?

Nerlens Noel’s conduct issues have been well documented, including in this very article. The vetting process would have to be long, and the OKC Thunder front office would need to be extremely comfortable with Nerlens Noel before making this move. However, on the court he has some things that OKC is looking for.

Three potential suitors:

• OKC Thunder
• Washington Wizards
• Atlanta Hawks