Knicks Rumors: Joakim Noah Likely to Be Released If NY Fails to Trade Him

Joakim Noah's tenure with the New York Knicks will reportedly come to an end before the start of the 2018-19 regular season. 

According to ESPN.com's Adrian Wojnarowski and Ian Begley, the Knicks "remain unlikely to reincorporate" Noah into their plans under new head coach David Fizdale and "will use the NBA's waive-and-stretch provision to release Noah sometime after September 1" if they cannot find a trade partner for the veteran center. 

Noah, who signed a four-year, $72.6 million deal with the Knicks in 2016, appeared in seven games last season before he was sent away from the club following a clash with head coach Jeff Hornacek. 

According to the New York Daily News' Stefan Bondy, the "disagreement stemmed from Noah's lack of playing time, and it turned physical the day after he logged only five minutes against the Warriors."

Since then, the Knicks have been exploring options to formally part with Noah. 

However, they haven't been able to find any takers, with two years and $37.8 million remaining on his contract. 

As a result, the Knicks' only way out of that mammoth financial burden appears to be stretching it over the next few seasons.

According to Wojnarowski and Begley, waiving Noah via the stretch provision after Sept. 1 would keep his $18.5 million salary on the books for next season but allow them to pay out his $19.3 million salary for the 2019-20 campaign in three installments with cap hits $6.4 million in the summers of '20 and '21. 

Assuming Noah doesn't suit up for the Knicks again, he will end his time in the Big Apple having averaged 4.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game across 53 appearances.