Joakim Noah ‘expected’ to sign with the Knicks, per report

After trading away Robin Lopez in the move that netted them Derrick Rose, the Knicks are close to securing the services of a new starting center. The Knicks are the “big favorites” to sign Joakim Noah, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein. The Washington Post’s Tim Bontemps goes as far as saying that Noah “is expected” to return to his hometown of New York on a deal starting around $18 million.

It became clear early in the offseason that Noah was not returning to the Bulls. In an interview with Sportando he complained about a lack of minutes and said that he would “consider every offer on the table.” Noah was moved to the bench by coach Fred Hoiberg and then missed most of the season with injury. With the Bulls trading Rose and looking ready to start a new chapter it made little sense to re-sign Noah, so both parties seem to be fine with parting ways.

Despite coming off two mediocre, injury-filled seasons, Noah was expected to draw interest from several teams. It looks like he made up his mind about joining the Knicks early on in the process. “We don’t have a chance because the Knicks are his choice,” is the line interested front offices repeated when asked about Noah, according to Stein.

The Knicks make sense for Noah. They have the cap space to give him as much money as anyone else and they need a center after trading Lopez. Kristaps Porzingis is the future at that position but he still needs to develop physically to man the spot full time. Noah’s passing makes him a good fit for the triangle offense, even if he lacks a refined post game. If he’s healthy, he should help New York improve defensively as well.

Nothing is set in stone yet. Noah will meet with Phil Jackson on July 1, the first day teams and players can start negotiating, according to The Vertical’s Sham Charania. He won’t be able to sign until July 7, when the moratorium ends. It does seem like it’s just a matter of time, however, before Noah reunites with Rose in New York next season.

Noah only played 29 games last season an averaged four points, nine rebounds and four assists on 22 minutes per game.

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