Should the Atlanta Hawks still be interested in Nerlens Noel?

Dallas Maverick’s restricted free agent Nerlens Noel still remains far-flung from striking a deal with anybody.

Nerlens Noel was one of the early names the Atlanta Hawks showed interest with in free agency, back when the roster was essentially empty. The signing of Dewayne Dedmon seemed to have closed the door on any furthering between the two parties, as the once empty center position for Atlanta was then filled.

It also seemed inevitable that the Mavericks would willingly part ways with their young center just half a season after trading for him. Dallas can obviously match any offer Noel accepts from another team, and speculation pointed to Mark Cuban and company being willing to match or offer him a full max deal.

Things haven’t quite worked out that way, as disparity between Nerlens Noel and the Dallas Mavericks have led to both sides being lightyears away from a contract agreement.

For whichever reason, whether it’s Dallas not coming close to Nerlens Noel’s asking price or another unknown factor, reports have continually labeled both sides as extremely far apart on a deal. As the two continue to stray further away from each other, it must be asked. Could interest from the Atlanta Hawks still be on the table?

As more time passes on Nerlens Noel is more and more likely to eventually sign an offer sheet with another team and force the hand of the Maverick’s front office personal. Then the Hawks, if interested, can come in with their offer. At this point it is unknown if Dallas will still match a lucrative offer sheet from another team, or if they’re interested in matching anything Noel gets.

On the flip side, there seems to be no plausible way that Travis Schlenk and company would offer anything more than a one or two year deal for Nerlens Noel. Then again, there may not be any team willing to go further than that for him; maybe not even the Mavericks. As NBA teams are starting to become much more weary of their salaries and ludicrous contracts, it seems unlikely that this journey ends with Noel getting a massive deal.

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In the event of a major turn of events that ends with Atlanta getting their hands on Noel, the Hawks get an immensely talented defensive big man at a ripe young age. Able to play both the four and the five spots, Noel would most definitely start with Atlanta and potentially take even more pressure off of rookie John Collins. A Nerlens Noel-Dewayne Dedmon front-court wouldn’t offer much offense, but an extraordinary amount of defensive dominance.