Dallas Mavericks: 2017-18 NBA season preview

How will the Nerlens Noel saga play out?

The Dallas Mavericks and Nerlens Noel both had interesting summers in the free agency market. As a restricted free agent, Noel was willing to re-sign with Dallas long-term. There were reports of a deal on the table worth $17.5 million per season, but those reports were also countered as untrue.

In the end, both sides were unable to work out a long-term deal and Noel signed to the original qualifying offer of $4.1 million this season.

Noel proved to be a valuable piece for the Mavericks as a defensive presence in the paint. Over the course of 22 appearances (12 starts), he averaged 8.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 1.0 steal per game while shooting 57.5 percent from the field.

At just 23 years of age, there’s still room to grow and improve but this is his season to seize the opportunity. The Mavericks haven’t had a solid big defensively since Tyson Chandler, who was an anchor in the run to the NBA championship.

Noel has Chandler-like abilities but needs to develop his mid-range jumper as well.

One big factor is how healthy Noel can remain this season. Noel appeared in 75 games as a rookie but since then, appeared in 67 games in 2015-16 and 51 in 2017-18. He’s yet to play a full season of basketball as he approaches his fourth year in the NBA.