2:26pm: If Noah has been talking about his desire to leave the Bulls, he hasn’t been doing so with agent Bill Duffy, according to Duffy himself, who tells K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter links) that his client has “great respect” for the city of Chicago, Bulls fans, and the organization. “Joakim and I speak on a daily basis about his future,” Duffy said. “There has been zero indication he doesn’t wish to return to Bulls.”
12:42pm: Longtime Bull Joakim Noah is eligible for free agency this summer, and one Bulls player tells Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times that Noah has been telling teammates in recent weeks that he’s done with the organization once free agency begins, adding that he “has no trust in the front office getting this in the right direction.”
Noah, who has spent all of his nine NBA seasons in Chicago, won’t officially hit free agency until July, so if the Bulls want to re-sign him, there’s time to mend fences before then — and it does sound like Chicago would like to bring him back. One April report from the Tribune indicated that the team may favor keeping Noah on a short-term deal rather than making a strong effort to re-sign Pau Gasol.
Still, according to Cowley, it appears that multiple Bulls players harbor a mistrust for general manager Gar Forman, with Noah chief among those players. The 31-year-old big man also didn’t always mesh with first-year head coach Fred Hoiberg, who removed Noah from the starting lineup early in the season and said the former Gator had volunteered to come off the bench, a claim Noah disputed.
Noah underwent surgery on his separated left shoulder back in January, and while he should be ready to go for the 2016/17 campaign, he hasn’t played a game since that procedure. In 2015/16, he appeared in just 29 games, averaging 4.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 21.9 minutes per contest.
Noah’s injury-shortened season may not have potential suitors clamoring to land him this offseason, and the Bulls hold his Bird rights, giving them plenty of flexibility to try to bring him back. But it sounds as if the former ninth overall pick intends to test the market and explore his options in July.
We’ll miss ya Jo. Don’t blame you for wanting out. The front office is a joke!
Mavs, Rockets, Heat, Hawks, Celtics will be his suitors this summer
Blazers
Dallas seems like a really good destination for Noah, assuming they can keep the rest of the team in place. He would be surrounded by shooters and can concentrate on defense, rebounding and passing — the things he does best.
Welcome to the lakers
We need a vet like him, we would have to overpay the other contenders that would want him.
I think they’ll try hard to sigh Whiteside and if they can’t they’ll go after Gasol. But they may try to bring him in. His injury plagued seasons scare me. I personally wouldn’t do it but we shall see I guess
I hope Joakim leaves and ones to a team that he wants to play for and is playoff bound. He deserves it! The Bulls front office is in trouble. It was a big mistake letting Thibs go, but Paxon and Foreman had to have a yes man. How’s that working?
Joe Cowley is a joke. He has a bug up his arse towards Bulls/White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf for years. Don’t know why, but always negative towards those organizations.
Shooting the messenger? The Bulls chemistry/front office problems have spilled onto the court in dramatic fashion. Yet we still have Bulls fans in straight up denial about it. Wake up. This team has torn itself apart.
Once again why Cowley is a clown. K.C Johnson all the way in terms of Bulls coverage