Report: Timberwolves to pursue Joakim Noah in free agency
Thibodeau’s Avengers, assemble?
According to a report by Mitch Lawrence of the Sporting News on Sunday, the Minnesota Timberwolves are set to pursue Joakim Noah in free agency.
The Timberwolves, of course, recently hired Tom Thibodeau, Noah’s longtime coach on the Chicago Bulls, to serve as their head coach and president of basketball operations. Noah, for his part, is an unrestricted free agent this summer and appears disillusioned with Bulls management, even apparently going so far as to tell teammates that he is done with the organization.
The 31-year-old Noah has been in Chicago for his entire nine-year career thus far. But injuries limited him to just 29 games in 2015-16 with meager averages of 4.3 points per game, 8.8 rebounds per game, and 3.0 assists per game.
The former Defensive Player of the Year was a perennial favorite of Thibodeau for his team-oriented play and his blue-collar grit on defense. With Thibodeau calling all of the shots in Minnesota, a young, up-and-coming team with nearly $30 million in projected cap room this summer and a veteran leadership role to offer Noah a la Kevin Garnett, what’s not to like?
Image Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
H/T theScore
