Joakim Noah, by all appearances, has played his last game with the Chicago Bulls.
The soon-to-be 31-year-old is done for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery and will be an unrestricted free agent at campaign’s end. He doesn’t fit head coach Fred Hoiberg’s offensive model, and the presences of Taj Gibson, Nikola Mirotic (currently injured), Bobby Portis, Pau Gasol (player option) and, to a lesser degree, Doug McDermott crowd the Bulls’ frontcourt rotation beyond reason.
All signs point to Noah, and probably Gasol, leaving in free agency.
Unless you ask Noah himself.
From the Associated Press (via NBC Sports):
The 30-year-old Noah is in the final year of a five-year, $60 million contract and is set to become an unrestricted free agent. Before the injury, there was talk the team would explore dealing the eight-year veteran before the trade deadline.
“I hope so,” Noah said when asked if his goal is to play for Chicago next season. “I’m not trying to focus on the future. I had season-ending surgery last week. But this is all I know. I’m looking forward to seeing what the guys are doing. Right now, it’s just all about taking a step back, just focusing on getting healthy.”
Previous trade rumors are an important part of this, too. Even if Noah isn’t necessarily looking to move on, the Bulls most definitely are headed in a different direction.
More than Noah doesn’t fit, he’s too much of a risk. He has been injured frequently and isn’t the Defensive Player of the Year, or the MVP candidate, he was in 2013-14. The Bulls already have one expensive injury risk in Derrick Rose and cannot afford another—especially when Joaqim Noah, despite his checkered health bill, could end up commanding more on the open market than $13.4 million he’s making this season.
