Boston Celtics trade rumors update: Celtics look to trade Noel

With a relatively slow start to the season, the Boston Celtics appear to need some help if they want to be considered contenders in the Eastern Conference.

Before the season began, many thought of the team as a dark horse because they have depth in all positions. The acquisition of Al Horford from the Atlanta Hawks appeared to be another piece set to help them be relevant again.

And while they're near the top of the Atlantic Division, the 3-3 start is less than impressive given the lofty expectations Celtics fans had going into the campaign.

With that, there are now talks that the Celtics are trying to get Nerlens Noel from the Philadelphia 76ers. It appears that having Noel play alongside Horford could be a great idea for the Celtics, given that Horford is a center who can play outside while Noel controls the paint.

This could also help the team move forward as Noel is a young player and has a high ceiling if given the right direction and enough playing time.

With the Sixers, Noel's potential can be seen. However, he has very limited playing time since he is battling for minutes with other big men like Jahlil Okafor and Joel Embiid.

Still unable to play this season as he recovers from an injury, Noel's first two seasons in the league have been good. He averages 10.5 points and 8.1 rebounds per game while shooting the ball at 49 percent.

He needs to work on his free throw shooting as he is a 60 percent shooter, but if he plays for the Celtics he will get a lot of help and motivation to be a more complete player.

These are all still speculations and it will depend how the Celtics will fare in the coming games. But if they are forced to play their hand, then Noel may be a Celtic later in the year.