The true madness of this year's NBA free-agent class — the first group to cash in on the bloated TV contract that will goose the salary cap from $70 million to $94 million — won't come from superstars like Kevin Durant or LeBron James.

If anyone deserves to make tens of millions of dollars a year to play a game, the very best of the best do.

The real ridiculousness will be in the overpaid middle class. When this rising tide lifts all boats, they will be there starting Friday — ready to upgrade to yachts.

Among the most notable players in this mix: Joakim Noah. Wolves fans for a while thought Noah might be a good fit to rejoin former coach Tom Thibodeau in Minnesota. But if a report from the Washington Post is accurate, you can forget that — and gladly.

The Post reports Noah is "almost certainly" going to sign with the Knicks, at a price tag of $18 million per season.

Read Michael Rand's blog at startribune.com/randball. mrand@startribune.com.