Reports that the Wizards might offer Joakim Noah a max contract when free agency begins were quickly refuted by CSN Mid-Atlantic on Friday.
NBA free agency rumors 2016: No, the Wizards won’t be offering Joakim Noah a max deal
Signing Noah wouldn’t be part of Plan A for Washington, while Chandler Parsons could be moving on from Dallas.
The initial report suggested that the Wizards, the Knicks, the Bucks and the Timberwolves all will be interested in Noah this offseason, and also said Washington would be willing to offer him a four-year max deal worth nearly $120 million.
There will be some ludicrous sums of money handed out this offseason, but a max contract for Noah would be entirely beyond reality. Noah is 31 and missed most of last season with injuries, playing very ineffectively when he did. His season ended in a game Chicago played against the Mavericks in mid-January, and his final stats were entirely mediocre: two starts in 29 games, averaging 4.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 38 percent shooting in 22 minutes per game.
It has been a dramatic fall for Noah, who was fourth in MVP voting during the 2013-14 season. However, he looks broken down and has showed no signs of returning to top form. The Wizards weren’t ruled out from pursuing Noah, but their goal this offseason will be getting younger and more athletic in the front court, per CSN Mid-Atlantic, something Noah obviously wouldn’t help with.
In fact, Noah's market will be a fascinating case study of the influx of new money vs. risky free agents. The Knicks, Bucks and Timberwolves -- the other teams in the report -- are all teams on the younger side as well, and their supposed plans this summer would have to break down faster than Joakim Noah has for him to be an option, it would seem. For the Knicks, at least, new acquisition Derrick Rose is interested.
Rose, on Noah: "I want him. He know that. His family know that." Said he was speaking with him last night.
— Chris Herring (@HerringWSJ) June 24, 2016
There’s a good chance Noah is a second-week signee, after the market settles and a more realistic price can be arranged for him. The only thing that is clear is that Noah won’t be returning to Chicago.
Chandler Parsons is "all ears" this free agency
The Mavericks' top free agent plan involves signing Hassan Whiteside and Mike Conley, but doing that successfully would mean that they wouldn't have money to bring back Chandler Parsons. Don't expect Parsons to wait around for Dallas' plans to happen -- ESPN.com's Tim MacMahon reported on Friday that Parsons will be "all ears" as free agency rolls around, expecting to receive max contract offers.
That’s the other part of the Mavericks’ plan: they don’t want to offer him a max contract, either, even if they do end up whiffing on Whiteside, Conley or both. Dallas likes Parsons and he likes them back, but there are concerns about Parsons’ knee that has cost him the end of both his seasons with the Mavericks. Mark Cuban tried hard to convince Parsons to opt into his $16 million player option, per MacMahon.
At this point, it’s more likely than not that Parsons leaves the Mavericks in free agency, although both possibilities are still very much in play. Some fans will say (and have said) he’s not worth a max, but there will be multiple teams willing to offer it to the 27-year-old. Although he had a down year due to recovery from hybrid microfracture surgery, Parsons averaged nearly 19 points on 52 percent shooting in February right after his minutes restriction was lifted.
Earlier this year, it was reported that Orlando would be a top suitor for Parsons. It's his hometown and the Magic's Serge Ibaka trade on Thursday shows they're trying to win now.
Ben Simmons is in for summer league
There doesn't appear to be any concern for July 9, when the 76ers and Lakers are set to play each other in the Las Vegas Summer League, already known as the Ben Simmons vs. Brandon Ingram showdown.
Ben Simmons expected to play in Summer League. Right now it's a matter of formality bc he can't sign contract until July 1.
— Jessica Camerato (@JCameratoCSN) June 24, 2016
A good number of international draftees won't be attending, however. Philadelphia's Timothe Luwawu is up in the air, while Furkan Korkmaz definitely won't participate as he finishes the season with his international team. With a record 14 international players, it's something that just might not be feasible for some.
Either way, that opening Saturday should be great fun, especially if Luwawu does arrive in time to join the 76ers’ squad as well.
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