Nerlens Noel's knee may have scared off some NBA teams as the projected No.1 overall player dropped to the sixth spot in Thursday night's NBA draft, but one of those teams was not the Philadelphia 76ers. Shortly after the announcement that he was drafted to the New Orleans Pelicans, multiple sources including Yahoo! Sports and ESPN announced Noel and a 2014 first-round draft pick were packaged to the Philadelphia 76ers for point guard Jrue Holiday and a 2013 second-round draft pick (No. 42 overall, Pierre Jackson of Baylor).
The future draft pick is protected if the Pelicans fall to spots 1-5, a source told ESPN.
After many claimed he was the favorite to be selected No.1 by the Cleveland Cavaliers, the 6-foot-10 Kentucky standout waited in the greenroom as Anthony Bennett and four others heard their names called before his. Noel averaged 10.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and had 106 blocks during his freshman season.
However, Noel suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament, which led to season ending surgery. He underwent a procedure on March 12 to repair his injured knee and is still currently in the rehabilitation process. Noel expects to be cleared to play sometime around late-December.
Noel heard the news that he was joining the Sixers while still donning a Pelicans hat he was given after being drafted by the team.
"They've got a great organization there, too. I'm just staying positive about everything," he said. "It shows how much confidence they have in me. I'm just looking to get down there and work hard."
New Orleans will receive an elite starting point guard in Jrue Holiday. Holiday averaged 17.7 points and eight assists for an otherwise struggling Philadelphia squad.
The move also helps the Sixers clear up cap space and takes away Holiday's $41 million contract. Philadelphia will look to add more pieces this offseason to a team that went 34-38 during the 2012-13 season.
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