NBA Rumors: Boston Celtics Still Have ‘High Level Of Interest’ In Nerlens Noel

John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Celtics are a team on the rise in the Eastern Conference. The once-dominant franchise has struggled since the dismantling of the Big Three but have quickly turned things around since the arrival of head coach Brad Stevens. Boston has made such strides that the team was able to land Al Horford in free agency and now may be on the verge of acquiring another big man in Nerlens Noel.

The team’s interest in Noel has been no secret. Noel has also seemingly campaigned for a trade to his hometown team with subtle hints being dropped on Twitter. The Philadelphia 76ers, however, have been gauging interest in their two best frontcourt players in Jahlil Okafor and Noel. Rumor had it that one of the two would be shipped out before the start of the season, and that may still happen.

According to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com, the Celtics are still highly interested in acquiring Noel and the young center is also open to being dealt elsewhere:

Noel has not asked for a trade, but multiple league sources told CSNNE.com that he is “very open” to being traded if the Sixers decide to make that decision.

Another league source contacted by CSNNE.com on Thursday morning indicated that the Celtics still have a high level of interest in Noel but no deal is imminent.

It seems as though Boston wants to capitalize on their new-found success. The storied franchise is armed with multiple draft picks as well as tradeable assets that could be very useful in trying to get a deal done with the 76ers at some point in the near future.

As of right now, there’s no telling whether a trade will be made now before the season starts or leading up to the NBA trade deadline in February. The Sixers could be motivated to make a move with Joel Embiid finally healthy and ready to make his debut with the team. Either way, it seems as though a deal might be on the horizon with Philadelphia trading one of the talented big men.