Rumors that the Philadelphia 76ers are planning to trade Nerlens Noel to the Boston Celtics are swirling again after a cryptic tweet from the young big man emerged on Thursday.
SB Nation indicated that the 22-year-old Malden, Massachusetts native posted a tweet "for the first time in a month" that said "I'm blessed to be from Boston. Love my city."
The said social media post said to have breathed "new life" to the Noel-to-Celtics speculations during the start of the summer, but it "could very well be nothing", according to the report.
Noel, together with fellow youngster Jahlil Okafor, had been in trade rumors since the Sixers drafted former LSU standout Ben Simmons as the no. 1 overall pick last June and the team announced that Joel Embiid, the 2014 third overall pick, will finally make his NBA debut this coming season.
The rumors got even louder when news went out that European sensation Dario Saric will also be joining the Sixers lineup next season.
With the five players creating a crowded front court for head coach Brett Brown, it seems likely that at least one of them will be shipped out before the new season starts in October and many analysts are guessing that it is Noel's head that is on the block.
However, the report also noted that "a trade between the Celtics and 76ers centered around Noel is still a possibility, but not one with a lot of traction for now". It also cited Comcast Sports New England as saying that Noel is "very open" to leave the Sixers if the team wants to, although he is not directly asking for a trade.
Meanwhile, the Celtics allegedly still have a "high level of interest" for the former Kentucky Wildcat, but no trade is about to happen at the moment, according to the article.
And because everybody knows that Philadelphia is eager to unload one of their young big men, the Sixers cannot find a proposal that would suit their preferences as interested squads refuse to offer enough.
"We're not going to make a bad deal just to make a deal," said Sixers president and general manager Bryan Colangelo. "I think we can be a better basketball team if we can distribute that talent better. Maybe take one of those assets and address other needs on the roster."
"I think right now it's best to say we like all of them, we want to see if we can make the most out of each of them. At the end of the day, the reality says one has to go at some point but only when the deal is right," he added.