Joakim Noah’s time with the Knicks has been an indisputable failure. He played in only seven games this year, averaging 1.7 points per game, and publicly feuded with coach Jeff Hornacek.
With the Knicks having moved on from Hornacek, whose future seemed uncertain all season, does that mean we’ll see Noah back in the Knicks’ rotation next season? Don’t count on it.
According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, the Knicks plan to part ways with Noah before next season.
“Sources indicate the likeliest scenario still is Noah becoming a stretch-provision waiver at the Sept. 1 landmark date,” Berman writes. “Waiting until Sept. 1 would enable the Knicks to maximize their salary-cap savings while not having Noah’s $72 million deal strangle their cap for too many years.”
The timing of this move would be a favor to Noah.
FYI: There is no reason for the Knicks to stretch Joakim Noah on Sept. 1 other than as a favor to him. They could wait until the season is over to get a better feel for what their cap space looks like for the summer of 2019, and then decide. Stretching this summer makes no sense
— Stefan Bondy (@SBondyNYDN) May 14, 2018
Noah’s Future
Indeed, such a move would mean the Knicks would pay Noah $18.5 million next season, in addition to $6.4 million cap hits for three years after that. Needless to say, this acquisition was a costly mistake.
Noah, 33, is still hoping to play, and if the Knicks use the stretch provision on him, he could sign with a new team before next season.
“Of course, things can change,” Berman adds. “There’s hope among Knicks brass the team can find a trading partner for Noah…The Knicks also could bring the 33-year-old Hell’s Kitchen product to training camp to see what he has left while evaluating their cadre of centers. It’s uncertain if two of them, Enes Kanter and Kyle O’Quinn, will be on the roster since they each have opt-out clauses in their contracts.”
Noah, 6-foot-11, was a two-time All-Star (2013, 2014) and was the 2014 NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
