Nerlens Noel’s tenure in Big D has been marred with inconsistency, relationship strains with the coach, and now trade rumors. After sending Justin Anderson and a protected first round pick to the Philadelphia 76ers, it’s safe to say that the Dallas Mavericks barely got the goods they wanted from the mobile 6-foot-10 center. With Noel set to hit the market as unrestricted free agent this coming summer, the Mavs may have no choice but to move Noel for valuable trade pieces.

So what kind of assets the Mavs can get by shopping a player who barely gets playing time this season?

Surprisingly, the market is still high on Noel despite his current situation. Dallas should be smart enough to capitalize on this demand and swing for a winning deal around the trade deadline.

Julius Randle is not the only player the Mavs could acquire for Noel. If creative enough, Dallas may get a much more competitive package or pieces that would help the franchise moving forward. The Los Angeles Lakers forward is a nice up-and-coming player with All-Star potential. Dallas would surely benefit by trading for a homegrown talent. However, as talented as Randle is, he’s not the best trade option out there.

Here are the two other trade suitors and their possible packages for Noel:

Denver Nuggets

Trade Package: Trey Lyles ($2.4MM) and Kenneth Faried ($12.9MM) for Nerlens Noel ($4.1MM) and Dwight Powell ($9.1MM).

Nikola Jokic is hands down the future of the Denver Nuggets. However, for this young Nuggets team to reach their playoff target this season, they would need the service of a multi-tool defensive player. Noel could answer the call with his ability to protect the rim and cover opposing guards with his mobility. Powell, on other hand, is still nice young player, setting aside his overpriced contract of $9M per year.

The Mavs would love to get a quality and improving big like Lyles, who is averaging 8.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in 17 minutes per game. The Nuggets would like to keep the defense-stretching forward but he’s not the shotblocker they direly need on the floor alongside Jokic. Faried, on the other hand, is eager to find a new home after losing his starting job to Paul Millsap.

Both Faried and Millsap’s contracts will expire in 2019, giving the Mavs more buying power in that summer.

Chicago Bulls

Trade Package: Robin Lopez ($13.7MM) and Nikola Mirotic (12.5MM team option for 2018-19 season) for Noel ($4.1MM), top-5 protected 2018 first-round pick and expiring contracts.

No, Lopez is not the center of the future. And no, Mirotic isn’t the second coming of Dirk Nowitzki. However, putting these two players in a package would really pique teams looking for serviceable center and highly-productive floor stretcher. Throwing away a 2018 first round pick is brutal for the Mavs, but next year's draft won't be as deep as this year. Lopez (13.0 ppg and 5.3 rpg) and Mirotic (17.9 ppg on 50 percent FG shooting and 48 percent from 3-point land) would make the Mavs competitive in the West, giving the young duo of Dennis Smith Jr.

and Harrison Barnes some playoff experience for their growth.

The Bulls, on the other hand, would likely get another lottery pick in 2018 if the Mavs pick falls outside top-5. Most of all, the trade gives Chicago the cap space (around $45MM) to make a run at two max-player free agents next summer. If the Noel experiment works, the Bulls will always have the money to cover his asking price.
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