New York Knicks need to hold steady in Joakim Noah discussions
The New York Knicks must stick to their guns and not give in during negotations involving Joakim Noah.
The New York Knicks have a busy few days ahead of them. Like many teams in the NBA, the Knicks have to figure out their plan for the 2018 NBA Trade Deadline. With less than a week until Feb. 8, there isn’t much longer for teams to decide if they want to be buyers or sellers.
The Knicks, however, have other issues to deal with. Their focus cannot be strictly on the NBA Trade Deadline because of center Joakim Noah.
During their road trip, Noah decided to leave the team. Following the game against the Denver Nuggets, Noah and head coach Jeff Hornacek reportedly got into a heated exchange. Instead of handling it in a professional matter, Noah lashed out and left the team.
For someone who is supposed to be a veteran leader, setting an example for the younger players, this is embarrassing. Noah is a respected veteran in the league, but there is no excuse for his actions.
Sources: After heated verbal exchange in practice between Joakim Noah and coach Jeff Hornacek last week, the Knicks are exploring avenues to part with Noah. He has two years remaining on the four-year, $72M deal he signed in 2016.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 29, 2018
As a result, the Knicks, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post, were ramping up their efforts to move Noah. The Knicks can try as hard as they want, but finding a trade partner for Noah will be next to impossible.
Noah’s ineffectiveness on the court and contract are enough for teams to not want him. The latest episode with Hornacek won’t help their cause.
With the animosity between Noah and the organization, the two parties agreed that he would not return to the team until further notice. Ian Begley of ESPN New York shared via ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski that the team and Noah’s representatives met Wednesday and agreed that Noah would remain away from the team until all trade possibilities are exhausted.
A sticking point in trade discussions between the Knicks and other teams involved is New York’s reluctance to include future assets. The Knicks are unwilling to trade future draft picks or young players currently on the roster to sweeten a deal for Noah. That is something the Knicks need to stick to, as they have to hold steady in any discussions involving Noah.
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Yes, his contract and presence at this point are detriments to the organization. However, blowing future assets to move him prior to the trade deadline next Thursday would be a shortsighted move. Giving away draft picks or young players would only compound the problem.
Moving Noah without adding in those incentives will be impossible, but New York has to stick to its guns. A big reason the Knicks are in the position they are currently is because of previous front offices’ inability to stay the course and stick to a plan. Attempted quick fixes would torpedo whatever positives they were building (looking at you, Phil Jackson).
Noah has been a disaster for the Knicks. Jackson signed him to a four-year, $72 million contract last offseason hoping he would bring toughness and a defensive presence to the Knicks. Neither happened as Noah has spent more time on the sidelines than on the court.
Another avenue the Knicks could explore is waiving Noah. A buyout is a possibility, but according to sources, Noah is unwilling at this time to give back any significant money in a buyout.
The stretch provision has been mentioned, but that would also cause more problems for the Knicks that solutions. Stretching Noah’s contract would mean the Knicks have to pay him $7.5 million over five seasons instead of the $18.5 million he’s owed in 2018-19 and $19.3 million in 2019-20.
That would be another shortsighted move, as the Knicks would rid themselves of a problem in the immediate future, but create more problems for themselves down the road. Stretching Noah would eat into their future cap space, which they are hoping they can use to land some free agents in the future.
At this point, it seems like it is more when, not if, Noah will be off the Knicks. They will do everything they can to find a trade partner for him, but if that doesn’t come to fruition the team should just sit tight.
The Knicks can hold out hoping that Noah budges and they can buy him out. If that doesn’t work, then waiving him would be the next course of action. By no means should the Knicks attach a future asset along with him in a trade package, or stretch him.
The goal for the Knicks should be retaining as much of their future flexibility as possible. The next two years will be difficult to make moves in no matter what decision they make in regards to Noah. They cannot exacerbate that problem by eating into future flexibility and have Noah impacting them in a negative way even after his contract expires.
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The New York Knicks must stick to their guns this time. It would be an encouraging change of pace to see them not give in for once and keep an eye on the future instead of just the present.