NBA Players Weigh In On Nerlens Noel Contract Negotiations

After the early July flurry ofNBA free agencysignings, several players with fairly big names and really big frames were left out in the cold, still looking for deals in a shrinking market. Among those, perhaps none was bigger thanDallas Maverickscenter Nerlens Noel. The Mavericks acquired Noel in a mid-season deal with the Philadelphia 76’ers, but have not yet convinced him to ink an extension that would keep him in the fold beyond 2018, when the qualifying offer year on his rookie-scale contract would conclude.

Earlier this week NBA media personality Steve Kyler reported that Noel had been offered a substantial deal by the Mavericks, but declined it.

The existence of the offer and the dollar figures involved remain in dispute, but that didn’t stop SLAM Magazine fromrunning an article on itThursday. This caught the attention ofPortland Trail Blazersguard CJ McCollum, who responded to the situation:

This prompted a response fromDenver NuggetsforwardWilson Chandler, whose tweet was NSFW butcan be seen here. The edited version reads:

“[****] that. Common sense. Smh.”

It’s fairly rare to see players commenting publicly on each other’s contracts. Apparently $17.5 million per year for Noel is a big enough prize to prompt even a jaded audience to start yelling advice, “Price is Right” style. We’ll keep you updated with any further comments.