No surprises here. The New York Knicks plan to part ways with Joakim Noah prior to training camp although a trade looks unlikely.
The New York Knicks and Joakim Noah are heading for a boiling point. The Knicks don’t plan on keeping Noah on the roster and they are looking for the best way to dump him.
Shams Charania of The Athletic is reporting that the two sides:
“Are expected to part ways before training camp; team has continued to work trade calls, although waiving and stretching Noah’s contract looms as a route.”
It’s unlikely that the Knicks find a suitable trading partner for Noah. There doesn’t seem to be any interest around the league in Noah. That’s in part due to his egregious contract, but it’s also because he hasn’t shown much ability on the court over the last two years.
Heck, even Tom Thibodeau isn’t interested in Noah’s services. If the TimberBulls don’t want him, who would?
As Charania points out, the waive-and-stretch option hangs over the Knicks like a black cloud. It’s not an ideal option, but unfortunately, it’s probably their only option at this point.
If his final year worth just over $19 million is stretched over three seasons, that will open up around $12 million in cap space for the all-important 2019 offseason. It appears that the Knicks plan to be very active in free agency. Reports are surfacing that Kyrie Irving is the organization’s preferred option, but there are a number of stars set to test the market next year.
In a perfect world, the Knicks would find a suitable trading partner for Noah and they wouldn’t have to give up a valuable asset — or assets — to get rid of him. But that doesn’t seem to be the case. Steve Perry and Scott Mills are ready to rid themselves of Phil Jackson’s greatest blunder in New York.
