When the Dallas Mavericks traded for 76ers big man Nerlens Noel in exchange for Justin Anderson, Andrew Bogut and a protected first-round pick, they knew Noel would be a free agent this summer. It was a 22-game tryout for the 23-year-old to see how he might fit with the future of the franchise.
After his solid showing, Noel likely is in Dallas' long-term plans -- if they can afford him, that is.
According to a report from Scout.com, Noel is likely to drum up multiple offers and teams are willing to pony up for him when he hits the market this summer.
A source from another NBA team (not the Mavs) tells me that there will be "multiple'' clubs willing to pay Noel his max once he hits the restricted-free-agent market on July 1.
Should Noel garner a max offer or multiple max offers, Dallas can match because he is a restricted free agent. But a max offer from another team -- a figure that would be upward of $100 million -- would require a matching max offer from the Mavs to keep their young center.
Realistically, Dallas likely will match any offer Noel receives. The team traded assets to get him and it's unlikely they'd do so to rent him for 22 games. He was more than serviceable in only 22 minutes per game, averaging 8.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and shooting 57.5 percent.
