FanPost

Avery Bradley For Nerlens Noel ?

We have heard all summer about the Celtics interests in Nerlens Noel and it seems like the feeling is mutual, as Noel wants out of Philly and recently tweeted this:

I'm blessed to be from Boston. Love my city.

Noel also took down his profile pic which features him wearing a 76ers uniform. Sure, this would mean a lot if Noel was on the open market, but he's not, so... we would need to trade for him.

As A. Sherrod Blakley of CSNNE reported, the Celtics still have interest in trading for the young Noel. Everyone loves playing GM and coming up with their own trade ideas, so here's my turn: trade Avery Bradley for Nerlens Noel, straight up.

Bradley may be the superior player at the moment, but the Celtics lack an athletic, defensive minded big like Noel, who still has a ton of potential to grow his offensive game. Horford and Noel would be a match made in heaven, as Noel would take most of the defensive workload and would help on rebounding. While Horford possesses the scoring and shooting ability that Noel currently lacks. The combo would also make for a pretty good passing frontcourt that Brad Stevens would love. This deal also opens up a rotation spot for Gerald Green and gives Marcus Smart the opportunity to start alongside IT4. The Celtics rotation would probably look something like this -

1. Thomas/Rozier
2. Smart/Green
3. Crowder/Brown
4. Horford/Johnson
5. Noel/Olynyk

The 76ers swap a defensive big for a defensive guard; but not just any defensive guard, the best in the league. Bradley, the definition of a 3&D guard, would fit perfectly alongside Ben Simmons (and Saric, Okafor and Embiid) as he would provide spacing and the ability to play off ball. Bradley would also bring the leadership that the 76ers need.

Still don't love Noel in green ? take a look at this stat comparison via basketball-reference.com, which features Noel's and Kevin Garnett's stats during their first two seasons in the league (all stats per 36 minutes)

Nerlens Noel: 12.6 Points, 9.7 Rebounds, 2.1 Assists, 2.0 Blocks, 2.1 Steals, .490 FG, .600 FT, .491 EFG

Kevin Garnett: 14.6 Points, 7.6 Rebounds, 2.6 Assists, 2.0 Blocks, 1.3 Steals, .496 FG, .736 FT, - EFG

Notice how Noel has the edge in rebounding and defensive numbers, and Garnett has the slight advantage in scoring/shooting. Garnett eventually developed a nasty mid range jumper that transformed him into a hall of fame type player, who knows if Noel can do the same.

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