NBA Trade Rumors 2018: Knicks Consider Trading Joakim Noah After Rumored Altercation With Coach Jeff Hornacek
The New York Knicks organization is reportedly looking to trade their center Joakim Noah following a rumored altercation with head coach Jeff Hornacek.
The possibility of trading Noah surfaced after league sources told Yahoo Sports that the player had an intense argument with Hornacek following their game against the Golden State Warriors last Jan. 23 where the Knicks lost, 123-112.
In the said game, Noah was just on the court for five minutes and scored only two points.
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The organization has yet to address rumors about the heated altercation between Noah and Hornacek, but Yahoo Sports' sources claimed both parties had agreed that the player would take a leave for the last two games they spent away from home on Jan. 25 (versus the Denver Nuggets) and on Jan. 26 (Phoenix Suns) before the team returned to their homecourt.
However, Noah has not played on the court with the team since then, even when the Knicks were up against their neighboring NBA franchise, the Brooklyn Nets, on Tuesday, and on Wednesday's away game against the Boston Celtics.
The Knicks have yet to provide a timeline of Noah's return.
Meanwhile, league sources also claimed that the organization is yet to discuss their options with Noah including a possible contract buyout. The report maintained that the Knicks are still exploring the possibility of trading Noah with other teams while a buyout was implied to be their last resort.
The same report said that while the altercation between Noah and Hornacek was all verbal, the confrontation was so intense that it almost got physical.
Following these incidents, the Knicks' front office is reportedly looking into their best options to trade out Noah. He is in a contract with the team until 2020 after signing a four-year deal at the time when the Knicks was still under Phil Jackson's management.
With the Chicago Bulls, Noah played in the All-Star Games in 2013 and 2014. However, since his addition to the Knicks, the player has yet to have a substantial playing time due to several factors, which include a knee injury and a 20-game suspension in May 2017 for violating the NBA's anti-drug policy.
At the moment, Noah's stats only include 15.85 playing time per game.
