Rumor: Joakim Noah no longer scheduled to work out for LA Clippers

Joakim Noah has been slated to work out for the LA Clippers for some time, but according to the latest rumors, the meeting has been called off.

Joakim Noah and the LA Clippers seem like a perfect marriage, and over the course of the last few weeks, it’s looked as though he would be joining the team for workouts. However, according to a new rumor, it doesn’t appear as though that will be happening

According to the LA Times’ Andrew Greif, the free-agent center was initially scheduled to work out for the team earlier this week. However, the meeting has been postponed, and now he is no longer expected to join the team for workouts before the beginning of training camp.

Greif also noted that the Clippers will now enter training camp with one roster spot remaining.

This comes as a bit of a surprise — the Noah to Clippers rumor first began weeks ago, when Noah’s own father stated that his son was on his way to Los Angeles to work out for the team.

Since then, all signs were pointing to it becoming a reality. Most recently, The Athletic‘s Shams Charania reported that Noah would be joining the team as soon as this week.

So what changed?

To be honest, we don’t know. No one really seems to. Noah’s fit with the Clippers seemed like a perfect one, and for more reasons than his position.

Like a majority of this LA Clippers roster, Noah is gritty, and solid on the defensive side of the floor. Over the course of his 12-year career, he’s earned three All-Defensive selections and was named Defensive Player of the Year for the 2013-2014 season. His abilities have since digressed, but as a backup big, he makes a lot of sense for this team.

It’s not entirely clear where Noah would have fit into the depth chart, but somewhere behind Ivica Zubac and Montrezl Harrell would have made the most sense.

Zubac was the Clippers’ starting center following the 2019 trade deadline after LA acquired him from the Los Angeles Lakers. He was solid across 26 games, averaging 9.4 points and 7.7 rebounds in just over 20 minutes per contest.

Zubac was played out of the playoffs against the Golden State Warriors, and the Clippers had to resort to starting JaMychal Green instead. There’s a chance he could continue to start at center in the new season, but LA’s starting rotation is still under construction.

Harrell probably won’t start either, considering his size and effectiveness off the bench alongside Lou Williams. The same goes for Mfiondu Kabengele, who should some of the remaining big man minutes off the bench.

Noah was most effective off the bench last season, though the Clippers could have used him as a starter in certain situations. Bigger, more dominant centers would likely have a harder time pushing him around compared to Zubac and Harrell.

With one more spot open on the roster, it’s unknown who the Clippers will choose to pursue. The Memphis Grizzlies have remained adamant in their stance against cutting Andre Iguodala, so unless both sides are able to agree on a trade, it doesn’t seem likely that he’d fill the final spot.

Regardless, the LA Clippers are just one piece away from completing what is easily the most talented roster in franchise history. Noah or not, they’ll still be one of the league’s premier teams in the upcoming season.