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After being traded to Mavericks, Nerlens Noel salutes Philly; ‘I love the city so much’

The 76ers traded Nerlens Noel to the Dallas Mavericks for Justin Anderson, Andrew Bogut and a first-round pick. The first-round pick is top 18 protected for this summer.

There are no more holdovers from the 76ers' 2013-14 team.

In a somewhat expected move before Thursday's trade deadline, the team parted with the last remaining member of that team in center Nerlens Noel. He was shipped to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Justin Anderson, Andrew Bogut, and a top-18-protected first-round pick in June's NBA draft. To make room on their 15-man roster, the Sixers waived rookie point guard Chasson Randle.

If the pick lands within the first 18 spots, the Mavericks will keep it. The Sixers then will receive Dallas' second-round picks in the 2017 and 2018 drafts. They will be hard-pressed to get the first-rounder from the Mavericks. Dallas (22-34) had the league's seventh-worst record heading into Thursday's matchups.

In a surprise move, the Sixers did not trade Jahlil Okafor at the deadline. There were reports that the team was involved in trade discussions up until the 3 p.m. deadline. Nothing was agreed upon and the player who appeared to be a goner two weekends ago is still here.

With a logjam at the center spot, the Sixers had been shopping Okafor and Noel since last summer. However, the Noel trade talks did not heat up until late Wednesday night.

Thursday evening, he praised Philadelphians for sticking with a Boston kid from the University of Kentucky.

"I love the city so much and all the support the fans showed through the losing seasons," said Noel, who endured a 47-199 record over his first three seasons. "Those three seasons weighed heavy on such a competitive town. It really goes a long way with how much they stuck with us, and they also continued to show me support even through the trade rumors and everything.

"The way they had my back on everything this season means a lot."

Noel spoke out about the logjam at center on the eve of training camp and missed the first 23 games after left knee surgery. He was also critical of playing just eight minutes in one game and was briefly taken out of the rotation.

The Sixers acquired him and a first-round pick in a trade on the night of the 2013 draft from the New Orleans Pelicans for then-all-star point guard Jrue Holiday. Noel sat out what would have been his rookie season in 2013-14 to rehabilitate a torn left anterior cruciate ligament he suffered in his lone season at Kentucky.

Noel said he will fly to Dallas on Friday even though the team will be in Minneapolis for that night's game against the Timberwolves.

The Mavericks are looking for Noel to become the starting center. His presence will enable Dirk Nowitzki to move from center back to his natural power-forward spot. Dallas is also interested in signing Noel to a contract this summer.

The Mavs are raving about the 22-year-old's athleticism, potential, length and ability to protect the rim.

"And he can finish around the rim," Nowitzki told reporters. "I guess that's what they were looking for."

The transaction came one day after the Sixers sent Ersan Ilyasova to the Atlanta Hawks for Tiago Splitter and two 2017 second-round picks, one being Miami's pick and the other being a switch pick. a protected second-round pick.

The Sixers are expected to buy Bogut out of his contract. The center, who is making $11.2 million in the final year of his deal, wants to become a free agent.

The injury-prone Bogut, the first overall pick of the 2005 draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, had played in only 26 of Dallas' 56 games because of injuries.

Anderson is a second-year swingman out of Virginia. He's averaging 6.5 points and 2.9 rebounds in 51 games this season, with two starts. The 6-foot-6, 228-pounder is regarded as a lunchpail type of player, who Philly fans should fall in love with.

The 23-year-old is a high-energy guy who does all of the dirty work. His three-point shooting has improved from 26.5 percent in 2015-16 to 30.3 percent this season.

"He's a hardworking kid with a bright future," Nowitzki said of Anderson. "But in a deal, that's how it works. You always have to lose something to get something.

"So I obviously wish those guys the best of luck. They gave everything they had here."

The Sixers, meanwhile, were sad to see Noel go. At the same time, they were happy to see him get an opportunity to start.

A team staff member interrupted practice Thursday to pull Noel off the court. That's when coach Brett Brown notified him that he had been traded. After he showered and dressed, Noel returned to the practice court to say his goodbyes to the players, staff members, and coaches.

"Nerlens is my guy," Joel Embiid said. "He has been my best friend since I got to Philly. I'm happy for him. You know he wants to start.

"I think in Dallas, he is going to get the chance to start. I think they are going re-sign him, and I think they are going to pay him a lot of money."

Brown said there was a human side that made things sad when Noel was traded. Perhaps that's why the practice gym resembled a morgue as players were silent when media members were allowed in.

But Noel was far from sad Thursday night.

"I think this is a really great opportunity," he said. "I think especially to get a chance to always play with a future Hall of Famer in Dirk Nowitzki and some gritty veterans in the backcourt."