Sixers Rumors: Horford Became Priority Only After Failing to Land Noel

The Philadelphia 76ers were the first NBA team to take a chance on Nerlens Noel. Coming out of Kentucky, every team in the league was interested in the thriving center. However, an injury prevented him from becoming the top pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. After dropping down to No. 6 overall, the rebuilding Sixers took a chance on the young center as they traded with the New Orleans Pelicans to land him.

Noel's stint with the Sixers ended in 2016-2017 after Philly's front office made some changes post-Sam Hinkie era. After getting two solid years in with the Dallas Mavericks, Noel was on the free agency market for the first time in his career.

Relying on his agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, Noel was hopeful to land a significant contract in free agency after turning down a healthy extension offer from the Mavericks. At the time, Noel was surprised at the lack of interest he received on the market, so he joined the Oklahoma City Thunder on a two-year deal.

But it turns out, Noel allegedly had interest coming in from other teams and now he's taking legal action against his now-former agent, Rich Paul, according to reports.

Former Sixers head coach Brett Brown was reportedly the guy who let Noel know the 76ers had an interest in him during the offseason a few years back, but they couldn't get a hold of his agent at the time.

Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report confirmed that much on Friday as he reported that the front office and the coaching staff in Philly were on the same page with acquiring Noel to become Joel Embiid's backup once again but couldn't make it happen due to a lack of communication between the Sixers and Noel's former agent.

So, the Sixers went with Plan B, which quickly became an infamous move in the city of Philadelphia during the 2019-2020 season.

"The lawsuit claims Paul never informed Noel of Philadelphia's interest in bringing him back—that he later only heard the intel from coach Brett Brown, who said Philly's front office was unable to reach Paul. The 76ers, and the team's coaching staff in particular, were indeed interested in Noel before Philadelphia ultimately shifted its pricier sights onto Al Horford, sources confirmed to B/R."

After failing to land Noel, the Sixers went ahead and inked Al Horford to a multi-year contract. At the time, the Sixers agreed to a four-year, $109 million contract with the 33-year-old big man. While the backup center position would've suited Horford best, the Sixers made him the team's starting power forward, which caused the starting lineup to have a terribly awkward fit all season long.

The Horford experience was awful for everybody. Therefore, the Sixers traded the veteran center to the Oklahoma City Thunder the following offseason. While getting off of the expensive Horford contract after one season was a satisfying move made by Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey, the "what-ifs" in Philly are now looming large as fans are now hearing the Sixers could've had Noel back in the mix instead of witnessing the failed Horford experiment a couple of seasons ago. 

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