NEW YORK _ The Knicks finally severed ties with Joakim Noah on Saturday afternoon, announcing they have waived the former All-Star after two astoundingly disappointing seasons.
A source told the Daily News that Noah was waived outright, meaning he gave up no money in a buyout.
The 33-year-old has been away from the Knicks since January, when he and former coach Jeff Hornacek got into a heated altercation at practice. As it turned out, that moment symbolized the end of Noah's Knicks career.
Noah signed a four-year, $72 million deal in 2016 and he leaves with $38 million of that remaining. By waiving Noah via the stretch provision, the Knicks are spreading out his remaining salary over more years with less of an annual cap hit. As a result, they are adding almost $13 million in cap space for the summer of 2019. The bad consequence is that they'll be paying Noah $6.4 million annually until 2022.
The Knicks tried to deal Noah but were unwilling to attach necessary assets like young prospects or draft picks. In the meantime, Noah and the Knicks agreed it was best to stay apart. Coach David Fizdale said he spoke with Noah over the phone in the offseason, but he couldn't bridge the discord.
Noah totaled 53 games over two seasons with the Knicks, averaging fewer than five points. He had two surgeries and a 20-game PED suspension.
