There are rumors that the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers are close to a Nerlens Noel-Marcus Smart swap.

Boston started the season strongly, winning three of their first four games. However, the team is on a downward spiral with two-straight losses after frontline starters Al Horford and Jae Crowder both succumbed to injuries.

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This drop in the standings has generated speculations that the Celtics will resume their quest for another star big man to keep the team contending even when setbacks happen in their frontcourt.

Rumors have emerged that Sixers center Noel is their latest target after the former Kentucky standout was not given a contract extension in Philly before the deadline at the beginning of the month.

Without an extension, Noel, 22, is set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Some NBA analysts believe that it is highly likely that he will jump ship to a new squad when that time comes as he feels that the frontcourt in Philadelphia is already crowded with young big men.

At the moment, the Sixers have Noel, Jahlil Okafor, Joel Embiid, Dario Saric, and Ben Simmons on their roster, all of whom are young big men with a lot of upsides.

Noel told reporters earlier in the recent postseason that he thinks it is "silly" the Sixers have "three starting centers" and he expects the club to make a move to balance out the roster during the offseason, according to Bleacher Report.

The move did not come, however, despite Noel and Okafor being mentioned in a lot of trade rumors all summer.

Sportsrageous indicated that a trade with the Celtics could happen soon with point guard Marcus Smart as a potential trade piece for Boston.

Smart is still young at 22 and has only been in the league for two years, which does not meet the Celtics' need for a veteran floor general to try and lead the team's young players.

However, he is considered a starting-caliber point guard and had competed with Isaiah Thomas for the spot in the offseason before a verdict was made by Celtics boss Brad Stevens.

TagsNBA Trade Rumors, NBA Trade Rumors 2016, Nerlens Noel, philadelphia 76ers, Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics