5 NBA players in need of a change of scenery

Sometimes situations in the NBA do not work. With the trade winds blowing, there are several players who should be hoping to get into a new situation.

The NBA’s trade market is officially open.

The floodgates have opened with every player who signed a contract this summer now eligible to be included in trades. Fans are busily heading over to ESPN.com’s Trade Machine to seek ways to improve their teams.

General managers and executives around the league are likely playing out scenarios in their heads too.

It is still very early in the season so it’s hard to say very many teams are out of the playoff race at the moment. So the motivation to make a deal is not very good right now, as the trade market is not fully developed.

But there are already some players who desperately need a new place, and teams who might already be able to find value trading away some disgruntled players. Or, at least, just need to get rid of players who seem superfluous and unnecessary before attitudes completely kill value.

Teams are going to be shopping and looking around for the next few months but the urgency will pick up in these special situations.

Whether it is just a player underperforming, seeing himself entering a logjam thanks to poor roster moves or an up-and-coming player, there are just some situations that need a change. And, frankly, some good players just need to get out of a bad situation that does not get the most of their skills — if they are even bothering to play them at all.

There are good players to find around the league,as well as good players who desperately want out.

Here are five players who are in desperate need of a new situation.

Nerlens Noel, Philadelphia 76ers

Nerlens Noel has not made it a secret he is unhappy in Philadelphia.

This summer he questioned the 76ers plan to play three young big men and wondered aloud if he was the odd man out. After all, Joel Embiid was the third overall pick the Sixers drafted knowing he might very well miss a season (and then waited another season for him). And Jahlil Okafor was the second overall pick and anchor offensively.

Noel can be a very good player. His offense has come a long way and his defensive acumen is still one of the best. But with his injury history, he knew he was the one the Process would chew up and spit out. He was understandably frustrated.

That frustration has boiled over now that Noel is healthy.

Noel had offseason knee surgery, quelling some of the frustration. But it allowed the Sixers to get into a rhythm with its two bigs.

Now that Noel is back, he expected a return to the rotation only to find there are no minutes available, and the Sixers even formally announced Noel is out of the rotation for now as they evaluate him. That has certainly frustrated the young player, to the point that he has all but asked out of Philadelphia.

The sad part is, the Sixers could use Noel. He is a better pairing for Embiid with his ability to float to the perimeter and work near the basket as a shot blocker and rim protector. That is something Jahlil Okafor is simply not known for.

It seems the relationship for Noel and the Sixers is beyond repair. He does not believe in the team they have built and the players in the frontcourt rotation. Noel is a good player and should get an opportunity elsewhere.