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NBA free agency: 5 teams for Joakim Noah

By John Buhler

Nov 3, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Chicago Bulls forward center Joakim Noah (13) complains about a foul call against him during the second half of the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Time Warner Cable Arena. Hornets win 130-105. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 3, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Chicago Bulls forward center Joakim Noah (13) complains about a foul call against him during the second half of the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Time Warner Cable Arena. Hornets win 130-105. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 10, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah (13) dunks the ball against the Los Angeles Clippers during the second quarter at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 10, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah (13) dunks the ball against the Los Angeles Clippers during the second quarter at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports /

player. 170. . East. Southeast. Charlotte Hornets. 4

A third of the 2015-16 Charlotte Hornets roster will hit free agency this summer, leaving head coach Steve Clifford with a lot of holes to fill on his strong defense-first Eastern Conference playoff team.

While getting the team’s best defensive player back in 2016-17 in shooting guard Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will help considerably, maybe using some cap space on signing a player as established defensively as Noah could keep the Hornets very much in the Eastern Conference Playoffs mix next season.

Charlotte has gotten better at playing some variations of small ball, but it does make sense for this corps to naturally gravitate to stellar defensive play. Noah will aid in that regard and will probably be a huge boost in former first round pick Frank Kaminsky’s development on that end of the floor.

The way that Charlotte can emerge as an Eastern Conference Finals hopeful as early as next season is to win on the glass with a bruising front court. A change of scenery will do Noah wonders, but he’ll play his best on a team that preaches strong defensive principles first.

There is a chance that Noah could start for the Hornets in 2016-17 should he sign there. With him healthy and on this team, Charlotte gets into the Eastern Conference Playoffs again in 2017. It’s a similar situation for him that he would get in Atlanta, but in Charlotte he would have a realistic possibility of starting whereas with the Hawks that’s not possible. Charlotte isn’t a bad landing spot for Noah this offseason.

Next: 3. Minnesota Timberwolves

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