New York Knicks: Five worst free agent signings in team history

Joakim Noah

The soaring salary cap in 2016 saw oodles of money being thrown around. Perhaps the most head-spinning deal doled out was the Knicks’ preposterous four-year, $72 million contract to an oft-injured Joakim Noah. Had the team committed such cap space to Noah three or four years earlier, the deal wouldn’t have looked so egregious. That was anything but the case in 2016.

By that time, the former Florida Gator had already been shelved with a slew of injuries. In his final campaign with the Chicago Bulls he appeared in just 29 contests. The fact of the matter here is that Noah wasn’t close to the bruising force he was in the prime of his career.

In Noah’s first season in the Big Apple, he featured in just 46 contests and averaged 5.0 points and 8.8 points per game. The last time we checked, those numbers don’t justify an $18 million per year salary. To make matters worse, he was later suspended 20 games for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy.

Because it’s the Knicks, Noah’s tenure with the franchise didn’t improve the next season. After appearing in just seven games off the pine, the former two-time All-Star was involved in a heated verbal exchange with then-head coach Jeff Hornacek and completely abandoned the team. The Knicks subsequently waived Noah using the NBA’s stretch provision clause– yes, that’s a thing.

For those wondering, the New York Knicks are obliged to pay the Frenchman $6.4 million annually through the 2021-2022 season.

In the end, New York gave a fragile center with well-documented knee issues $72 million over four years. In return, he played just 53 games and pocketed over $1 million per appearance. It was at this time that the basketball community realized that Phil Jackson had no business being in an NBA front office.