Joakim Noah is lining up for a return with Derrick Rose. No, Noah and Rose will not team up for one more season on the Chicago Bulls but instead, they will join forces on the New York Knicks.
Noah has been rumored to land with the Knicks since Rose was dealt to New York. Joakim is from the ‘Big Apple’, he’s close with Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose and the Knicks have an immediate need for a center. Since the Rose deal went down, the Knicks were favorites right away to land Noah.
It now appears that Noah will be signing on with the Knicks right at his estimated $18 million per year.
Following from Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo! Sports.
Free-agent center Joakim Noah and the New York Knicks are working to finalize a deal in the range of four years and $70 million-plus, league sources told The Vertical.
Noah plans to fly from New York to Orlando, Fla., to meet with Knicks president Phil Jackson on Friday morning, sources said. Discussions will continue Friday to finalize the deal, sources said.
And from Chris Broussard of ESPN.
Joakim Noah will meet with the Knicks Friday in Orlando. Sides nearing agreement on a 4-year deal worth $72 million, sources said
— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) July 1, 2016
Noah, 31, appeared in 29 games last season, averaging 4.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and one block in 21.9 minutes a night. For his career, Noah has been one of the NBA’s better defending big men, with the ability to guard perimeter players in screen switches. In 2013-14, Noah won the Defensive Player of the Year award while averaging 12.6 points, 11.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists.
