Grizzlies Reportedly In Talks to Sign Joakim Noah

It looks like Joakim Noah might be back on an NBA court again soon.

Joakim Noah
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Image via Getty/Matteo Marchi

Joakim Noah

It looks like Joakim Noah might be back on an NBA court again soon, even if you thought he'd disappeared into a nicely furnished treehouse in Jamaica. Sources tell the New York Times' Marc Stein there have "extensive discussions" with the Memphis Grizzlies in recent days and they could sign the free agent big man soon.

The 33-year-old was last seen on the court with the Knicks a season ago, when he was suspended for 20 games for violating the league's PED policy. Despite the suspension, he still found time to get into a verbal altercation with then-coach Jeff Van Hornacek, and only appeared in seven games on the season. He was eventually waived last month after the Knicks unsuccessfully tried to deal him to a league that has long since passed him by.

In the spendthrift—spurred by the new TV-rights deal—summer of 2016, Noah's four-year, $72 million joined a cavalcade of such offers to bigs (Bismack Biyombo and Timofey Mozgov net similar multi-year contracts) who play a much less important role in the largely position-less contemporary game.

If he does sign in Memphis, the Grizzlies will feature the NBA's 2013—Marc Gasol—and 2014 Defensive Player of the Year to help mentor exciting rookie big, Jaren Jackson Jr. Maybe JJJ and Marc can teach Joakim to shoot.

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