It’s now NBA trade deadline week, and the latest rumor surrounding the Celtics takes a local turn. According to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic, the Celtics are one of a handful of teams who have inquired with the Detroit Pistons about trading for center Nerlens Noel.

Noel, 29, is from Everett and played his first two years of high school basketball at Everett High School before transferring to the Tilton School in New Hampshire. He played his college basketball at Kentucky, then was selected by the New Orleans Pelicans sixth overall in the 2013 NBA Draft, with his rights being dealt to the Philadelphia 76ers that night. He’s since played for the Sixers, Mavericks, Thunder, Knicks, and is in his first season with the Pistons.

This is not the first time Brad Stevens has targeted a Massachusetts-born player since becoming the general manager. The team signed both Noah Vonleh of Haverhill and Jake Layman of Wrentham to preseason contracts back in the summer.

• This season Noel has played sparingly for Detroit. He’s played in 13 games making three starts, averaging 2.5 points and 2.8 rebounds in 11.4 minutes per game.

  At 6-foot-10, 220 pounds, Noel would give the Celtics more depth in the front court behind starters Robert Williams and Al Horford and bench players Luke Kornet and Blake Griffin.

  Noel is in the final concrete year of his contract, which pays him $9.2 million. He also has a $9.7 million team option on the books for next year. Other teams reportedly in on Noel are the Miami Heat, Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings, and Philadelphia 76ers.

  Whether it’s Noel or another player, the Celtics do seem to be trying to add a big man at this deadline. Late last week, they were reportedly looking into dealing for Utah Jazz center Kelly Olynyk, who was drafted by the team and played in Boston from 2013-2017.

• Nerlens Noel’s career stats

  Per Game Table

  Season	Tm	Age	G	GS	MP	FG%	FT%	REB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS
  2013-14	PHI	19	DNP
  2014-15	PHI	20	75	71	30.8	.462	.609	8.1	1.7	1.8	1.9	9.9
  2015-16	PHI	21	67	62	29.3	.521	.590	8.1	1.8	1.8	1.5	11.1
  2016-17	TOT	22	51	19	20.5	.595	.694	5.8	1.0	1.3	1.0	8.7
  	PHI		29	7	19.4	.611	.683	5.0	1.0	1.5	0.9	8.9
  	DAL		22	12	22.0	.575	.708	6.8	0.9	1.0	1.1	8.5
  2017-18	DAL	23	30	6	15.7	.524	.750	5.6	0.7	1.0	0.7	4.4
  2018-19	OKC	24	77	2	13.7	.587	.684	4.2	0.6	0.9	1.2	4.9
  2019-20	OKC	25	61	7	18.5	.684	.755	4.9	0.9	1.0	1.5	7.4
  2020-21	NYK	26	64	41	24.2	.614	.714	6.4	0.7	1.1	2.2	5.1
  2021-22	NYK	27	25	11	22.5	.533	.700	5.6	0.9	1.2	1.2	3.4
  2022-23	DET	28	13	3	11.4	.429	.700	2.8	0.5	1.0	0.7	2.5
  Career			463	222	22.1	.547	.655	6.1	1.1	1.3	1.5	7.2
  3 seasons	PHI		171	140	28.3	.505	.610	7.6	1.6	1.7	1.6	10.2
  2 seasons	OKC		138	9	15.8	.635	.724	4.5	0.7	0.9	1.4	6.0
  2 seasons	NYK		89	52	23.7	.597	.710	6.2	0.8	1.1	1.9	4.6
  2 seasons	DAL		52	18	18.4	.552	.724	6.1	0.8	1.0	0.9	6.1
  1 season	DET		13	3	11.4	.429	.700	2.8	0.5	1.0	0.7	2.5

  Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
  Generated 2/6/2023.

• Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at [email protected].

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