When the New York Knicks acquired Josh Hart from the Portland Trail Blazers ahead of the NBA trade deadline in February, there were some discussions about what the future may hold for him. Hart had a player option for the 2023-24 season which many people believed he would decline should he play well with the Knicks down the stretch. He certainly boosted his value with how he performed.
Hart became an integral part of the team’s second unit right off the bat. Head coach Tom Thibodeau trusted him, which led to a major role with the team. In the postseason, Hart was fourth on the team in minutes played behind Jalen Brunson, RJ Barrett and Julius Randle.
He had set himself up for a major payday, but in a somewhat surprising move, Hart accepted his player option for the 2023-24 season. It was part of the plan all along, as the Knicks were able to work out an extension with him.
The two sides agreed to a four-year, $81 million extension, which essentially comes out to a five-year, $94 million deal for the Villanova product. Given what some of the other players in free agency signed for this offseason, the Knicks have once again come away with excellent value on a contract.
The value of Hart’s deal was beaten by only six contracts this offseason, but there are players who have a higher annual value on shorter deals. Dillon Brooks, for example, agreed to a four-year, $86 million deal and he proved to not be as valuable as Hart when it mattered most.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Josh Hart & New York Knicks Updates
For the first time in a while, Hart looks to have found a long-term home. He has moved constantly as a pro, as the Knicks were the fourth team he played for in six seasons and was the third time in his career that he was traded; a second straight time in the middle of the season.
Agreeing to an extension also enabled the Knicks to use the full non-tax paying midlevel exception on fellow Villanova product, Donte DiVincenzo. Those two and Brunson all played for the Wildcats championship-winning team in the 2015-16 season. Brunson and DiVincenzo won again during the 2017-18 season before declaring for the NBA Draft.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Josh Hart & New York Knicks Updates
Hart and DiVincenzo will now be part of what should be an explosive second unit along with Immanuel Quickley and Isaiah Hartenstein. This is a deep, talented Knicks squad that addressed their biggest weakness, 3-point shooting, with the addition of DiVincezno.
The only thing that needs to be addressed is who takes over Obi Toppin’s role in the frontcourt. Hart is capable of playing power forward, as is Barrett for stretches, but it wouldn’t hurt the Knicks to add some more size to their roster. Going small on the second unit could be one way that Thibodeau gets his wing players some more minutes throughout the season.
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