Countdown to the trade deadline - YOUR ideas on a Nerlens Noel trade

First, some context for those of you who missed the first post in this series; this is the follow-up to a new approach to the avalanche of trade rumor articles which pop up this time of year. We all see them, and even those who enjoy them get tired of the same dish served 312 different ways. So, we decided to ask YOU, reader, your thoughts on trade rumors that may impact the Boston Celtics.

Each week until the trade deadline, we'll look at trade targets Boston may (or is rumored to) be considering, and put together a Twitter poll for you to answer about that player. We may do more than one in a week if rumblings of a move arise, but we'll try to pace ourselves to give you time to read and digest the results.

After you've had a day to respond to the poll (and comment on Twitter or Celticslife), we'll write up and analyze the results, including whatever comments you left on the potential trade. So, in the future, don't be shy, let us know what you think! The whole point of this is for YOU to tell US how you feel about these rumors - and all opinions are welcome.

The inaugural edition of this series asked you to weigh in on one of - if not the - most commonly cited trade rumors for Boston, Nerlens Noel of the Philadelphia 76ers. Evidently, it struck a chord, because quite a few of you responded. It's safe to say you all have some strong opinions on whether the Celtics should make an offer, so with that, let's take a look at the results:

The ayes have it - depending on what the offer is, anyway:

Celtics fans are (forgive me) one of the savvier fan bases out there when it comes to things like cap space concerns (Boston is hoping to land a big fish this summer), fit, chemistry, risk, and many other factors. True to form, more of you were interested in how we acquired Nerlens than if, and in my experience writing and reading Celtics-related material, this comes as no surprise.

When it comes to making a trade, for many of you, the devil is in the details:


Though it's an even split on whether Boston should only offer salary match, or salary match and picks, it's unlikely Philly accepts only salary match on Nerlen's current deal - worth just under 4.4 million - unless it includes a player like Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Kelly Olynyk, or possibly Terry Rozier. I'm inclined to pass on the first two, and would consider Olynyk because of the likelihood of his not figuring in the team's plans past this year, and Rozier because it's unclear what his ceiling is yet.

Kelly seems likely to command more than Noel on the open market, so I could see Danny Ainge rolling the dice with Nerlens, hoping the injury history dampens market value, or the hometown connection helps him swing a cheap extension. Terry could be a fringe All Star - or not much better than he is now - so a deal with him and James Young could work in a vacuum, given everyone's needs and leverage.

However, as rumblings involving the Portland Trailblazers suggest, Boston is not the only team likely interested in Nerlens, and several could beat that offer. Portland, for example, could send Noah Vonleh, Shabazz Napier and Pat Connaughton - all languishing on the bench but upgrades for the 76ers' second unit - or go hard and ship out Allen Crabbe, as the 76ers are under the cap and able to absorb his deal, and they have picks to sweeten the deal if needed. So, even with the poor leverage Philly has with Noel, the Celts would likely have to include at least Olynyk, Smart, or Brown - or other assets, of which they have plenty.

Some of you are buying relatively low:

Some of you are on the higher end of things (I assume to close the deal fast):
And some of you were in the middle:

 Some of you had some jokes:

 Some of you are (justifiably) skeptical:
And some of you are angry about ... something?

I don't know about you folks, but hearing what the Celtics hive mind has to say about these rumors was a lot more interesting to me than any rehash of the same thing we've seen so many times before. So, keep an eye out for the next installment early next week - or when a a trade rumor starts getting some unexpected traction. Until then, let us know which rumors/players you'd like us to cover next in the comments - and thanks to those of you who voted and especially commented - keep it up!

For more stories about Nerlens Noel on Celticslife, click here. For more by Justin, click here.






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