The Los Angeles Lakers are among the teams interested in Philadelphia 76ers big man Nerlens Noel, according to the Sporting News' Sean Deveney.
Deveney adds that the Lakers had talks with the Atlanta Hawks regarding Paul Millsap as well, a move that appears off the table for the time being.
Noel's name has been bandied about heavily in trade rumors, and given the duplication issues in Philadelphia's frontcourt, he's a prime candidate to be moved before the Feb. 23 trade deadline. Any Lakers' interest is logical given the team's shortcomings on defense: the purple and gold are near the bottom of the NBA in most defensive metrics.
The roadblock to bringing the 22-year-old Noel to the Lakers is lack of assets to give up. The team has been committed to its young core of Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle, and D'Angelo Russell, and Deveney reports the best the Lakers seem to want to offer right now is a future first-round pick.
What also makes any deal between the 76ers and Lakers noteworthy is the fact that L.A. will owe Philadelphia its first-rounder this spring if it falls outside of the top three. If the Lakers end up keeping the selection in June, then next season's pick will go to the Sixers unprotected.
