NBA trade news: Timberwolves interested in Joakim Noah and Luol Deng | NBA | Sport

Thibodeau was the former coach of the Chicago Bulls between 2010 and 2015, during which time Deng and Noah played under him.

The Timberwolves head coach already has several former Bulls players at Minnesota, with Jimmy Butler, Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson on the team’s books.

According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, the Timberwolves could be looking to add a veteran presence to the roster and his interest in the Bulls duo has not waned.

“Reported earlier in the summer that Wolves would have interest in Deng and/or Noah should they become available. That hasn’t changed,” said Krawczynski via Twitter.

British NBA star Luol Deng spent last season on the bench at the Los Angeles Lakers and had two years remaining on a four-year, $72 million contact he had signed in 2016.

The 33-year-old recently reached an agreement on a buyout with the Lakers, which saw him give back $7.5 million in the deal.

This allows Deng to leave now, while allowing Los Angeles to increase their salary-cap space for the 2019/20 season. Deng will still get his remaining $29 million owed to him, with payments expected to be stretched over the next two years.

“We want to thank Luol for his time with the Lakers,” general manager Rob Pelinka said. 

“We made this move to further our future salary cap and roster flexibility, as we continue to build this Lakers team according to our current overall vision.”

Joakim Noah, who is currently under contract with the New York Knicks, only played seven games last season as he had a troubled campaign, battling with injuries and clashes with former head coach Jeff Hornacek.

Noah has a four-year $72m contract with the Knicks and it’s reported that they might be willing to part with the centre after his return last season.

If Deng and/or Noah make the move north to Minnesota, neither are likely to be given a starting role. However, given their reputation and experience in combination of reuniting with a former coach and teammates, they could become a vital addition to the Timberwolves development next year.