Pool Photo-USA TODAY Sports
Report: LA Clippers Waiving Joakim Noah; Former All-Star Likely to Retire
All good things must come to an end.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the LA Clippers are waiving center Joakim Noah — who is now expected to retire.
Noah signed a two-year, non-guaranteed deal with the Clippers last season, days before the NBA season was indefinitely suspended due to the spread of the coronavirus. He initially intended to join the team before the season began but suffered a freak Achilles injury that forced him to remain sidelined until March.
He wound up appearing in just five games for the Clippers, posting averages of 2.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 10.0 minutes per contest, but his influence on the team went beyond the box score. Noah also served as a mentor to Ivica Zubac, something former coach Doc Rivers said was "absolutely fantastic" for him.
His best game of the shortened season came in the bubble, when Noah logged nine points, six rebounds and five assists in a four-point victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Noah's days in Los Angeles certainly weren't representative of his career. Over 13 seasons, Noah was named to two All-Star Games, earned three All-Defensive selections, one All-NBA selection and was recognized as the Defensive Player of the Year in 2013-2014.
After waiving Noah, the Clippers will have three centers on the roster: Zubac, Serge Ibaka and Mfiondu Kabengele.
Zubac should see a significant increase in minutes this season now that he's got another year under his belt and there's been a coaching change, and Ibaka should play a large role as well. Kabengele spent most of the 2019-2020 campaign in the G League but has made improvements as a stretch big.
