After a midseason trade from the Philadelphia 76ers, Nerlens Noel posted 8.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 22.0 minutes over 22 contests, making 12 starts.

Inexplicably, he is now seeking a max contract in free agency, which is one of the reasons why no NBA club has attempted to sign him thus far.

As a result, per NBC 5 Dallas, Noel fired agent Andy Miller and hired Dan Fagen in a shakeup that is intended to result in a lucrative long-term deal.

Since he’s a restricted free agent, the Mavericks have the ability to match the offer sheet of any potential team that Noel comes to an agreement with. Right now, he has a one-year qualifying offer of $5.8 with the Mavs on the table.

Although both sides have been stagnant to this point in their negotiations, SportsDay’s Eddie Sefko weighed in on the situation last month with a favorable outlook for Noel.

“He doesn't have to do anything until October. He can let the Mavericks squirm a bit. And he'll do the same. But eventually, he's going to be back. That's my guess, anyway. If I were the Mavericks, I'd cave in (sort of) and say, OK, here's your $20-million for next season. But we want the team option for 2018-19. That preserves their cap space moving forward. Not sure Noel and agent would take that. But it might be preferable to the qualifying offer if nothing better comes around,” the Mavericks beat writer predicted.

At the end of the season, Noel made it obvious that he cherished his time in Dallas.

"I love Dallas," Noel told Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News. "In my short time here, I've really enjoyed it. With the pieces that we have, and the opportunities we'll be seeing in the near-future, I think there's a lot to be excited for.” 

Therefore, he seems committed to remaining in Dallas in the long term. “Being with a new team and being in a new environment, to really build on some things that I wasn't really wasn't capitalizing on in past years [in Philadelphia],” the 6’11” big man said.

"As soon as things work out [contract-wise], I'll be looking to spend a lot of time with Coach Carlisle," Noel explained. "The work that we have done this last month is something that, if we put a whole offseason in, I think we can make really big strides.”

Carlisle offered praise for the young athlete, saying, “I've been impressed with him. He’s a very likable guy. Guys in the locker room took to him. He's an exciting young talent, and I do think he can expand his game.”

"I'm excited about him," Carlisle explained. "From afar, he was always a guy that I was enamored with with his ability to deflect balls and make plays at the rim at both ends of the floor.”

After being selected with the sixth overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, Noel holds career averages of 10.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.5 blocks over 27.6 minutes in 193 regular-season contests. When given the opportunity, Noel has been able to establish himself as a talented two-way player, but is a far cry from being recognized as a legitimate max contract type of player.

"We're very disappointed with where things stand," Noel’s former agent said in July. "Nerlens loves Dallas and spent June there working out, but we're still waiting on a serious offer.”

Apparently that “serious offer” hasn’t come yet.