Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah isn’t thrilled with the direction the team is going, and on Thursday reports began swirling that he has chosen his new destination.
According to a report by ESPN’s Marc Stein, NBA teams have dialed back on their pursuit of Noah because they have learned that his preferred destination is New York to rejoin Derrick Rose with the Knicks:
“The New York Knicks have emerged as the strong favorite to sign free-agent big man Joakim Noah, according to league sources.
“Sources told ESPN that multiple teams interested in Noah have all but conceded that the Knicks are his runaway preferred destination.”
As for price on a contract, Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post had some details, reporting that Noah is expected to sign a deal worth around $18 million per season.
The money is high, but with the NBA’s salary cap expected to take two giant leaps forward over the next two seasons, players at every skill level should expect to receive massive pay bumps as the league really starts to see the impact of their new television contracts with Turner Sports and ESPN.
As for what all this means for the Bulls, the answer is that they’re already prepared for Noah to be playing elsewhere. The team did acquire Robin Lopez in the trade with the Knicks that sent Rose to the Big Apple, and they’ll likely target another big man in free agency, which officially kicks off at 11 p.m. Thursday night.
