Analyzing the Trades

 Nerlens Noel to the Sixers

As soon as Nerlens Noel was picked by the Pelicans, UK fans had an instant new favorite team, alleviating the pain of Noel slipping to the sixth pick of the NBA draft. The shot blocking duo of Anthony Davis and Noel, along with Kentucky native and favorite Darius Miller, turned New Orleans into a UK graduate program.

However, that joy was quickly diminished when it was discovered by everyone, including Noel himself, that he was to be traded to Philadelphia. Noel was nevertheless excited at the prospect of playing with all-star point guard Jrue Holiday. He was unaware that the very player he was being traded for was none other than Holiday.

The Pelicans received Holiday and the 42nd pick in the 2013 draft in this trade. The Sixers received Noel and a first round pick in the 2014 draft. So how was this trade for each team? I'll answer that question after the jump.


Well first off I'd like to point out that Holiday is not as good as his all-star status would suggest. Don't get me wrong, Holiday is a good young point guard that will help the Pelican team a lot and Davis in particular. But let's face it, Philadelphia was bad last year. With Andrew Bynum injured, Holiday was the only really quality player on a team filled with mediocrity. Yes he did have 17.7 points and 8 rebounds a game. But as the only quality player on the team, Holiday could've easily had more. Holiday was also aided in the fact that Rajon Rondo and Derrick Rose, both of whom UK fans should be familiar with, were both injured and unable to gain the all-star ranking that they would've undoubtedly gained over Holiday.

On the other hand the Sixers got the player in the draft with the highest ceiling: Nerlens Noel. Noel doesn't really need an introduction or an explanation of how good he can be. I'll just say that Noel is already one of the best shot blockers in the NBA and one of the best defenders before having played a single game. Will his offensive game take off? Who knows. But in the mean time he will stay a lockdown defender and be a consistent candidate for DPOY every year.

The Sixers also get a first round pick in 2014. The 2014 NBA draft is supposed to be the most loaded one in over a decade (can it be better than 2003? Wade, LeBron, Melo, Bosh... We'll see). Where will the pick be? The Pelicans still likely won't be that great. They will have two solid young players who will still be developing in Davis and Holiday. Eric Gordon will be an asset if he can stay healthy. Outside of those, they have few weapons. This could make their 2014 pick very good.

Overall, I would definitely argue that Philadelphia definitely got the better end of the deal. A potential franchise player in Noel and possibly another one depending on their pick(s) in next year's draft. It will be a long time before we know who really won this trade, but for now I would argue that the Sixers won.

Next post I'll analyze the Goodwin trade.

Ev'ry Wildcat Star will shine