Former Sixers Head Coach Reportedly Exposed Nerlens Noel's Former Agent

Former Sixers center Nerlens Noel has been in the NBA since 2013. Throughout the span of his young career, the 27-year-old center has switched agents several times. Happy Walters first represented the former Kentucky standout.

Then, Noel joined one of the most powerful and influential agencies in the NBA as he chose to link up with Rich Paul. Last year, Noel cut ties with Klutch and received representation from George Langberg as he landed a deal with the New York Knicks.

While it was clear Noel was unhappy with Rich Paul and Klutch Sports in the past, the former 76ers center is now taking action and reportedly suing his former representatives as Noel believes Klutch is responsible for "lost earnings" in his career.

According to Darren Heitner of Sports Agent Blog, Noel realized there might've been wrongdoing as he was advised to turn down a significant contract extension from the Dallas Mavericks in 2018 and instead take a $4.1 million qualifying offer for one season. Noel was led to believe he could secure a max contract in free agency.

When the following free agency came around, Noel claims he wasn't presented any real offers when free agency opened up. Eventually, Noel signed a two-year deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder. After declining his option for the second season, Noel hit the free agency market. Once again, his market seemed to be dry.

But former Sixers head coach Brett Brown allegedly proved that wasn't the case. In Heitner's report, he notes that Noel initially learned from his former head that the 76ers were reaching out to his representatives during the offseason to try and work out a deal for a reunion. Rich Paul "refused to respond," according to the report.

Later on, Noel reportedly found out that was the case with several teams. Over the last few years, Noel has been a free agent twice. Both times, the Sixers were rumored to be linked to the big man as he would've been a stellar backup for the team's MVP finalist Joel Embiid. 

Each time Noel was linked to the Sixers but never actually signed, there was never any concrete proof as to whether there was truly an effort to sign Noel or not. While Paul hasn't confirmed or denied wrongdoing on his behalf, the report indicates that the Sixers attempted to form a Nerlens Noel reunion a few years back. Unfortunately, it seems they weren't able to negotiate properly.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.