A move that set the New York Knicks back in July 2016, Joakim Noah was signed to a four-year, $72 million contract. A handful of eye-popping deals were handed out that summer, as the NBA’s salary cap had a historic spike.
This deal happened under Phil Jackson, the then-president of basketball operations. He signed the veteran to take over at center, which resulted in multi-player trade of Robin Lopez, the incumbent, to the Chicago Bulls for a Derrick Rose-headlined package.
Just over two years later, Noah’s Knicks tenure ended uncerimoniously, when he was waived and stretched.