As a summer full of NBA rumors swirled prior to free agency, there’s one thing we knew for certain about free agent-to-be Joakim Noah: He wasn’t going back to the Bulls. But, as free agency looms, it’s seemingly becoming less and less mysterious where Noah will end up.
At this point, it’s “almost certain” that he is going to return to his hometown of New York and sign with the Knicks.
Have heard the same lament from multiple interested teams tonight: They see New York as a big favorite to land Joakim Noah in free agency.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 30, 2016
Word is Noah loves his hometown NY dearly & dreams of playing for NYK. Saw him walking around NY smiling last week. https://t.co/79QiUiLQxv
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) June 30, 2016
In addition to the Knicks being Noah’s hometown team, they also now employ one of his pivotal former teammates in Chicago — Derrick Rose. New York has also been rumored to be interested in Pau Gasol as well, and team president Phil Jackson has a good rapport with the Spanish big man after winning two titles coaching him in Los Angeles. But it’s unlikely the trio of former Bulls will reunite in the Big Apple next season.
Pau’s positional overlap with Noah is too pronounced (it was part of why the beginning of last season was so rocky), and Gasol could be demanding a salary sum the Knicks — who are paying Derrick Rose almost $22 million in the final year of his deal — might want to avoid.
Plus, Noah is basically a lock at this point. According to multiple sources who spoke to the Washington Post, the 31-year-old Noah is expected to make around $18 million annually in his new contract with the Knicks. The hope is that he’ll be able to return to form after having season-ending shoulder surgery in January. Slotting him alongside Kristaps Porzingis and Carmelo Anthony will make the triumvirate a formidable frontcourt in New York, too.
Noah has spent his entire career with the Bulls, and has previously expressed desires to be a one-franchise player, but it seems like this is a perfect opportunity for him to start fresh in a place that he holds dear after falling out with Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg last season. It makes lot of sense for everyone to not happen some time after midnight Thursday when free agency begins.
