Ex-Sixers Big Man Dumped By Rival After 10-Day Contract Expires

Nerlens Noel, New York Knicks

Getty Nerlens Noel of the New York Knicks passes the ball in the second half against the Denver Nuggets.

Nerlens Noel’s run with the Brooklyn Nets has come to an end.

The former Philadelphia 76ers center landed a 10-day contract with the Nets after receiving a buyout from the Detroit Pistons, but failed to make enough of an impression and could not snag a permanent spot on the roster. As the New York Post’s Brian Lewis reported, the Nets decided not to sign Noel after he appeared in three games, averaging 1.0 points in 14.3 minutes per game.


Nets Moving on After Short Stint With Nerlens Noel

Noel was seen as a top buyout market target, with a number of contending teams showing interest including the Sixers. James Edwards III of The Athletic that Philadelphia was one of several teams that inquired about Noel ahead of the trade deadline, when interest was high.

“Per league sources, the Heat, Nuggets, Mavericks, Kings, 76ers, and Celtics have recently called the Pistons and inquired about Noel,” Edward wrote.

Noel played for the Sixers from 2014 through 2017, earning NBA All-Rookie honors in his first season. He averaged a career-best 11.1 points per game in his second season with the Sixers.

Noel ultimately landed with the Nets after finalizing a buyout, but never made much of an impact as the team ultimately decided to move on. As The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported, the Nets are now working on landing another big man.

“The Brooklyn Nets are progressing on a deal to sign center Moses Brown, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium,” Charania tweeted. “Brown averaged over four points and four rebounds in just eight minutes per game for the Clippers this season.”


Sixers Grabbed Another Veteran Big Man

While they were not able to engineer a reunion with Noel, the Sixers found another veteran big man to add in the buyout market. Dewayne Dedmon signed with Philadelphia after he was traded from the Heat to the San Antonio Spurs and then bought out.

Dedmon said after his signing that he was excited to join the Sixers.

“Just talent everywhere,” Dedmon said, per Justin Grasso of SI.com. “Such a talented team. I mean, you got one of the best bigs in the league in Joel (Embiid), you got an established All-Star in James (Harden), and an up-and-coming guard in (Tyrese) Maxey. It’s a great team, able to get up and down the floor and win games.”

Dedmon was still rehabbing a hip injury at the time he joined the Sixers, and finally made his debut in a 112-93 win over the Washington Wizards on March 12. The veteran big man played 4:48 in garbage time, scoring four points with one rebound and one assist.

Sixers head coach Doc Rivers said before Sunday’s game that Dedmon would be working his way into the rotation more down the final stretch of the season.

“First of all, we just want to get him healthy,” Rivers said, via USA Today’s Sixers Wire. “We think he’s pretty healthy right now, but we’re in a big stretch. We definitely are gonna play him at some point because we want him on the floor and see what he can do for us.”

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