Could we be on the verge of seeing one of the younger talents of the Minnesota Timberwolves be traded to the New York Knicks for Joakim Noah?
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Due to the slow start that the Timberwolves had coming out of the gate to start the 2016 season with a record of 5-11, head coach Tom Thibodeau is considering the thought of trading one of his younger guys to get some experience in return. However, the requirement for something to happen is that it needs to be a former player. Also, this would only happen if the season continues to spiral out of control.
The Knicks would fit as an ideal trade partner because Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose are both former players of Tom Thibodeau. While Rose being dealt most likely won’t happens, there is nothing against the Knicks parting ways with Noah.
If this were to come to happen, I could see the Knicks either ask for Karl-Anthony Towns or Ricky Rubio in return. As reported by Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report, Tom Thibodeau is willing to trade any of the younger talents. But, there is no way Minnesota will part with one of the best Centers in the league for Noah. A Rubio trade makes no sense due to the play of Rose so that forces the Knicks to grab for second-tier players.
There happens to be another report saying that the Knicks may ask for Gorgui Dieng. If Dieng is willing to play Center, then this could be a deal worth looking into. But for the Wolves to take on Noah they will need the Knicks eat a large chunk of his contract. I cannot see Phil Jackson doing so with all he had to fix with the Knicks terrible contracts over the last two seasons. But, here’s the kicker, Deng is roughly the same player that Noah once was and will come at a cheaper price.
The reason why Joakim Noah has been rumored to be dealt with the Timberwolves is he has not performed up to the level that his contract is worth. When the Knicks signed him over the summer, it was expected that he would bring in huge numbers and that hasn’t been the case.
He is averaging roughly 4.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, and less than one block per game. This trade would also not require an extended learning period for Noah as he played in Thibodeau’s system for a few seasons in Chicago.
Once again, nothing is confirmed at this point, and rumors should be taken with a grain of salt.