20 People who turned their backs on the New York Knicks

Joakim Noah

The four-year, $72 million free agency deal Joakim Noah signed in 2016 is regarded as one of the worst signings in Knicks history. That says a lot. He played in only 53 games for New York across two seasons. 

Noah was "banished” from the Knicks in Jan. 2018 after a physical altercation with head coach Jeff Hornacek at practice. At that point, he had played in only seven games in 2017-18. New York tried to trade him but wasn't successful.

Noah didn’t play in another game for the Knicks after that. He didn’t work out in New York in the 2018 offseason but spoke with new head coach David Fizdale. The two sides agreed that the Knicks weren’t the right team for him. 

New York waived Noah in Oct. 2018 with $37.8 million left on his deal. The Knicks stretched his contract to clear salary for the 2019 free agency class. He didn’t get off New York’s books until the 2022 offseason. 

Noah arrived in the city as a two-time All-Star and the 2014 Defensive Player of the Year and left as a disgrace. In his lone “full season” in New York (which was disrupted in Feb. 2017 because of a 20-game suspension for violating the league’s anti-drug program), he averaged 5.0 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. Thanks, Phil Jackson!