The Mavericks must show Nerlens Noel the love this season

The Dallas Mavericks are banking on Nerlens Noel to be a big part of their future, but to ensure that future they need to show him the love now.

The Dallas Mavericks and 23-year-old center, Nerlens Noel, have shared quite the rollercoaster relationship these past six months. It started when Noel was rescued from arguably the worst professional franchise in the NBA at the trade deadline. From there it blossomed into a mutual admiration that provided hope for the future to both parties.

But things didn’t stay sunshine and rainbows for the Mavs and Noel. Enter the contract situation.

Negotiating contracts is rarely a pretty thing. Especially in professional sports. The Nerlens Noel situation proved to be no different.

Nerlens Noel was acquired by the Dallas Mavericks because of three important factors:

His age.
His ability (or potential ability).
His restricted free agent status.

The Dallas Mavericks were interested in the future Noel offers the franchise. Trading for him was a long-sighted move, not a short-sighted move. Yet, the future of the relationship is now severely in doubt.

The Contract Dispute

It wasn’t long ago when Nerlens Noel seemed destined for a contract of the maximum variety. At the time, the debate was whether he deserved a max deal or not. While the word “deserved” is largely subjective, the market has a way of often applying fairness in situations like this. If someone was willing to offer a max deal to Noel, then he would then be worth it. That’s because worth is determined by the buyer.

But when the Mavs indicated they were both willing and able to match any offer from an outside team, the futility of such an action discouraged other suitors. In short, the restricted nature of his free agent status sucked his value out of the market.

This unforeseen reality had terrible financial ramifications for Nerlens Noel. Expecting a max offer, he turned down the Mavs’ generous offer of $70 million over four years. When the market proved nonexistent, the Mavs generous offer disappeared. Noel had no choice but to accept a paltry $4.1 million qualifying offer.

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Ill Will

Many will say Noel only has himself to blame. And those people would be largely correct. But regardless of who’s to blame, this is the Dallas Mavericks problem to overcome.

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You see, Nerlens Noel lost a lot of money. Sure, he’ll be a free agent next summer with the opportunity to make more annually than he would have by accepting the Mavs’ $70M offer. But the lost wages this season will take a while to recoup. Additionally, the financial security he lost cannot be quantified.

In recent days, Nerlens and his mother have trying to put this all behind them, even planting some modest roots in the DFW area. But it’s impossible to forget the disappointing summer that just went down. No person should honestly be expected to completely forgive and forget something that financially painful.

Tough Task

The Mavs now face the difficult task of moving forward with Nerlens Noel in a positive way. The best hope at turning this franchise around resides in him staying with the team. The Mavericks have between now and the trade deadline to be convinced Noel wants to stay with the club. They simply can’t afford to let him escape in free agency next summer.

While some Mavs fans are rejoicing in the bargain, I’m fearful of it. A good deal like this comes at a cost and if that cost is losing Noel next summer, it’s too high of a cost.

Next: Why max contracts and price controls are bad for the NBA and the Mavs

The Mavs will be tasked with making Nerlens Noel fall in love with Dallas the city, and Dallas the team, over the next six months. It’s time to run their rollercoaster relationship back up the hill.

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