The New York Knicks appear to have a plan to get rid of Joakim Noah finally. If nobody else wants him, they’ll stretch him.
Joakim Noah is still a member of the New York Knicks. For now. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ian Begley, the New York Knicks are preparing to move on from Noah.
ESPN story with @IanBegley: Knicks remain unlikely to reincorporate exiled center Joakim Noah into team under David Fizdale, still eyeing September waive-and-stretch. https://t.co/WCYWLXy7mP
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 8, 2018
The new regime led by Scott Perry and David Fizdale will use the waive-and-stretch provision on their veteran big man sometime after Sept. 1.
Per ESPN, the idea of keeping Noah in the fold after Fizdale’s hiring was an option that never gained traction. Perry has been trying to move Noah since the Feb. trade deadline but has been unwilling to part with the first-round pick or young prospect that it would cost to unload the veteran.
Noah abruptly left the team last season due to issues with then head coach Jeff Hornacek. Fizdale, a new voice, likely thought that he could get more out of Noah. Combine that with the emergence of Mitchell Robinson and this is just no longer a match.
But it appears that Perry and Fizdale have made their choice. It’s hard to blame them. Noah has appeared in just 53 games in two seasons following his forever infamous $72 million contract in the summer of 2016.
