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Philadelphia 76ers And New Orleans Pelicans Are Perfect Trade Partners

By George Kondoleon

Jan 26, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Nerlens Noel (4) battles for a rebound with New Orleans Pelicans center Omer Asik (3) and forward Anthony Davis (23) during the second quarter at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 26, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Nerlens Noel (4) battles for a rebound with New Orleans Pelicans center Omer Asik (3) and forward Anthony Davis (23) during the second quarter at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Philadelphia 76ers should look towards contacting the New Orleans Pelicans about trading Nerlens Noel or Jahlil Okafor, as they could actually hold trade leverage despite the cluster in the front court.

The Philadelphia 76ers had no success in moving Nerlens Noel or Jahlil Okafor on Draft Night in hopes of moving into the top-5 to select Kris Dunn, but the team will still be shopping their overabundance of big man talent.

The team has seemingly lost trade leverage as they seem desperate to clear room on the roster to start to form a more well-rounded team, which drags down the return they could possibly bring in for one of their talented centers. For most teams, that is.

The Philadelphia 76ers can still find very good value in trades if the team decides to deal with the New Orleans Pelicans, who outside of Anthony Davis are weak in front court depth. The Pelicans have roughly $24 million in cap space and will be most likely be losing key big man Ryan Anderson in free agency. With star Anthony Davis in his prime, the team is in no position to start a slow rebuild which would be wasting his best years.

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This evens out the playing field in trade talks between the two teams. The Philadelphia 76ers have exactly what the Pelicans need; front court talent and cap space. The Philadelphia 76ers could serve as somewhat of a salary dump while also obtaining critical on-court pieces. The timeline of the Philadelphia 76ers won’t need to be as ramped up as the Pelicans, so they can afford trading current assets for future picks.

The Pelicans have tied themselves up with Omer Asik, who will be on his second year of a 5-year, $58 million contract. Dumping Asik will give the Pelicans $11 million more in cap space this year, allowing them to attack more impactful free agents.

Asik has struggled to score but has a knack for rebounding, averaging 8.1 rebounds per game in his two seasons with New Orleans. Asik has struggled to be effective on either side of the court, so his play won’t be impactful, rather what comes along with him.

If the Philadelphia 76ers were to offer Nerlens Noel or Jahlil Okafor, along with Jerami Grant, they may be able to not only swing multiple draft picks but bring in a guard in Tyreke Evans. Evans is an injury prone guard on what will be an expiring contract, but he fits the Philadelphia 76ers new style of versatility.

Evans has been an inconsistent outside shooter, but at 26-years old he still has some upside and would be able to fill a positional need although he hasn’t consistently played point guard since the early years of his career. In his 7-years split between the Sacramento Kings and the Pelicans, Evans has averaged 15.5 points, 6.0 assists, and 5.0 rebounds. Evans has had an above-average player efficiency rating all but one season.

Philadelphia 76ers
Jan 19, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Tyreke Evans (1) shoots over Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Garnett (21) and forward Tayshaun Prince (12) during the second half of a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Timberwolves 114-99. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

Evans and the first-round (or second round) picks would be the headliners in the package, assuming there may be some other sweeteners. Dumping Evans will give the Pelicans an added $11 million as well.

It has been tough to gauge the values of both Okafor and Noel, as the names have been in various rumored deals that seem to range from really low to moderately high-value. Okafor’s value fluctuates depending on how teams view his strengths compared to his glaring weaknesses, while  Noel’s is dependent on the team’s financial situation as he becomes a restricted free agent after the upcoming season.

Okafor would be a decent offensive pairing with Anthony Davis, who can score almost any which way. Okafor’s defense will still be a problem, but maybe Davis’ prowess will be able to mask that. Noel could be just a one-year rental, but the pairing of Noel and Davis could create the best defensive tandem in the league.

Next: Isaiah Canaan A Free Agent; Noel Trade Talks Update

The Philadelphia 76ers best trade partner equality wise might very well be the New Orleans Pelicans as they two have the assets that would fit well for each team. The way Bryan Colangelo flips the assets he inherited will be the biggest test to his rebuilding process, and he could end up hitting a home run if he were able to work out a long-term visioned deal with New Orleans.