NBA Rumors: Nerlens Noel appears to have played his final game for the Oklahoma City Thunder

What's the rumor?

After spending the 18/19 season playing as back up center to Steven Adams, Nerlens Noel is being linked with an exit from the OKC Thunder.

In case you didn't know...

Noel was selected with the sixth overall pick by the Pelicans back in 2013, although his rights were immediately traded to the 76ers. Noel spent time in Philadelphia and Dallas, before joining the OKC Thunder last summer.

Over the course of the 18/19 campaign, Noel played 77 times, averaging 4.9 points and 4.2 rebounds in 13.7 minutes per game.

The heart of the matter

The Thunder face a potentially major summer of change following another early exit from the playoffs. Noel made a positive impact from the bench, and there is no doubting that he offers immense value in return for his minimum contract.

During his end of season interview, Noel noted that he is facing an important summer and that he will let his agent decide his future:

It's going to be a major summer for me, especially just being around this, like I said, and the playoff hunger. After you lose in the Playoffs, there is definitely a new hunger that builds inside of you, a bad taste in your mouth.

I'm going to let my agent handle that situation (Future with the Thunder).

Nevertheless, Noel has a player option on his contract, and it seems almost certain that he will opt-out of the final year of his contract in favor of chasing a bigger and longer deal elsewhere. With Steven Adams' future also in doubt, this could leave the Thunder needing to add major depth at the center position.

What's next?

After exiting the playoffs last week, The Thunder will now turn their attention to a potentially pivotal offseason.