Joakim Noah’s season is over because of shoulder surgery, but the veteran hopes his time as a member of the Chicago Bulls doesn’t share the same fate.
According to ESPN’s Nick Friedell, the impending unrestricted free agent center wants to stay with the franchise that drafted him in 2007.
“I hope so. Right now I’m not trying to focus on the future. I just had season-ending surgery last week. But this is all I know. So I’m looking forward to see what the guys are doing, and right now it’s just all about taking a step back and just focusing on getting healthy, and then we’ll go from there.”
The soon-to-be 31-year-old missed nine games after slightly tearing his left shoulder but dislocated it on Jan. 15 against the Dallas Mavericks.
Noah ended the 2015-16 campaign with a career-low average of 4.3 points, managing a still-respectable 8.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 21.9 minutes per outing. First-year head coach Fred Hoiberg elected to bring Noah off the bench, which he hadn’t done since 2010.
But that decision was the product of a deep frontcourt, and it could lead to the conclusion of Noah’s nine-year tenure in the Windy City.
According to HoopsHype, Noah has Chicago’s lone expiring contract this offseason. Pau Gasol does hold a player option, but Nikola Mirotic and Taj Gibson are both locked up through 2016-17. What complicates matters most, though, is budding rookie Bobby Portis.
The Bulls were likely to be a seller in the trade market. Noah’s injury means the Bulls probably will keep their depth — but receiving even a small return for his expiring deal is now unlikely.
Noah had a $13.4 million salary this season. Chicago might not want to shell out a similar contract while it braces for Mirotic’s next deal. However, if the franchise signs Noah at a discounted rate, that likely means Gibson — also almost 31 years old — will be dangled as trade bait this offseason.