Noel has no worries about trade deadline

ORLANDO - Nerlens Noel is stress- free.

The 76ers center is back to being his jovial self. He displayed that carefree attitude 75 minutes before Thursday's game against the Orlando Magic.

The reserve center was asked how he's dealing with the uncertainty leading up to the Feb. 23 trade deadline. It's no secret that the Sixers have been shopping Noel and Jahlil Okafor since last summer. And there's a great chance that one of them will be on another team by 3:01 p.m. on deadline day.

"I don't even approach it," Noel said inside the visitors' locker room at Amway Center. "I just play my game. If that's what they decide, that's what they decide."

Noel, the sixth overall pick of the 2013 draft, said he was not worried about being traded and doesn't even keep up with trade rumors. But it was differen when things weren't going in his favor earlier in the season.

Noel missed the first 23 games after knee surgery. Then he had to deal with a sprained left ankle, limited minutes, and being taken out of the rotation. But he got quality minutes in the 19 games heading into Thursday.

"I haven't heard anything," Noel said. "So I don't really look for anything."

It appears that Okafor is more of a priority to trade than Noel. But Noel's positive attitude and the way he interacts with teammates - specifically Okafor - have not gone unnoticed.

"Lately, Jahlil has gotten more of a nod and more opportunities than Nerlens to the point where we're starting Jahlil," coach Brett Brown said. "Nerlens' minutes have been less and less.

"He's handled it like a pro. . . . He's handled it like a friend and he's handled it maturely."

Former Sixers swingman K.J. McDaniels had a heck of a 24th birthday. The Houston Rockets forward arrived in Philadelphia just in time to see the birth of his son, King, on Thursday. The Sixers traded the fan favorite to the Rockets on Feb. 19, 2015.