Knicks Rumors: Working On Deal With Joakim Noah

New York Knicks Rumors: It has been no secret that the Knicks and Joakim Noah looked to be a match in free agency, but now there looks to be a deal in the works.

New York Knicksrumors are coming in hot, as NBA Free Agency has started with a bang. One of the first reported deals being worked on after midnight involved the Knicks, as they are working on the framework of a deal withJoakim Noah, formally of the Chicago Bulls.

The Knicks and Noah have been connected since the Knicks traded forDerrick Rosefrom the Bulls. Rose said it during his press conference that he would like toreunite with Noahin New York, as the two had a lot of success together in Chicago. New York has looked to be in the lead for Noah even before free agency started, according toIan Begley of ESPN New York.

That looks to be true in the early going of free agency, as Shams Charania of The Vertical reports that the Knicks and Noah are talks on the framework of a deal that would pay him in the range of $70 million dollars over four years.

Charania also added that the Knicks and Noah are expected to meet with in Orlando later Friday, as the Knicks are there for Summer League and the framework needs to be hammered out officially.

ESPN’s Chris Broussard delivered some more concrete numbers regarding the Noah situation, as he said the two sides are nearing a four-year, $72 million deal.

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While the Knicks have a gaping hole at center, this deal would be a tough one to swallow. While Noah has shown in the past that he is a passionate player and brings a lot to the table that the Knicks would like, he has been horrific the last two seasons, battling injuries and ineffective play.

Handing out a four-year deal to a player that has struggled in recent seasons and is on the downside of his career is not usually a way to build a contender.

While the $18 million annually is a lot of money, that seems to be the going rate for the market this season. The big problem with this deal is the length, as Noah is already 31-years old. It is highly unlikely that Noah makes it through all four years of that deal, let alone the second or third year with how he has looked the last two seasons.

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There is still time that the numbers could change, especially if the Knicks find themselves in the market for other players, such as a shooting guard. Noah wants to play for the Knicks, so it would make sense for the Knicks to try and talk him down so that they can add other players to their empty roster.

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