Portland were surprisingly willing to trade him mid-season for an underwhelming return haul, and now versatile small forward Josh Hart has been rewarded for his intangibles, defensive effort and invaluable bench impact with a lucrative multiyear extension to stay in New York – paired alongside Villanova’s 2016 NCAA title teammates Jalen Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo.
Hart’s new deal a boost as Team USA continue WC prep
- “It meant a lot. I wasn’t highly touted coming out of high school, wasn’t highly regarded in the draft, went through free agency the first time and I was restricted, it was a terrible experience for me. So to be able to do this, it’s a dream come true – just being able to have something that can take care of my parents, family and kids,” Hart on agreeing his latest deal
- “It shows that playing the right way still matters. He does the right thing, plays the right way, is a super competitor and it all just shows,” Lakers guard and USA teammate Austin Reaves – who signed his own four-year, $53m extension this offseason – said about the Knicks guard/forward
- Hart’s deal, which he signed on Thursday, means he now has $94m through to 2027-28 – having picked up his $12.9m player option in June, allowing New York to use their full midlevel exception in free agency and secure Hart’s Villanova teammate Donte DiVincenzo (four-year, $46m)
In a move that has already aged poorly for the selling team, Josh Hart arrived in New York as part of a trade deadline deal with Portland six months ago and quickly established himself as a key piece in their surge into the Eastern Conference semis.
There, he and his Knicks teammates were bested in a six-game series by eventual runners-up Miami Heat and Hart made the news, almost missing their final elimination game altogether after wife Shannon gave birth to twin boys.
It’s a briefly dramatic development which doesn’t usually impact a team’s chances of success unless it’s their star player – Hart’s influence has quickly proven invaluable.
As if he wasn’t before after repeatedly being overlooked, he’s now playing for something bigger than himself. An ever-growing family and a new father to boot, Fred VanVleet is just one example of how childbirth can inspire positive change.
Having alternated between shooting guard and small forward since being drafted 30th by the Utah Jazz (then traded to Los Angeles) in 2017, Hart’s box score statistics aren’t always impressive but he stands out in other ways if you watch games closely.
Last season, he averaged 9.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.2 steals on 37.2 3P% and 52.9 FG% in 76 regular season games (52 starts).
Having started every game under Chauncey Billups on the West Coast, he quickly grew a partnership with Immanuel Quickley in New York and shot 51.9% from deep in the final 25 post-trade as their second unit proved one of the league’s best.
Ok, so what’s next for New York?
While currently playing for Team USA as their FIBA World Cup preparations draw to a close, he’s always been a great – albeit undersized – rebounder and shown an ability to guard multiple positions, easier said than done given the league’s depth.
If he’s able to maintain efficient shooting – especially from deep – next season and beyond, the Knicks will be very happy.
It has flickered between a career-high 39.6% during his rookie season with the Lakers and a lowly 32.6 in 2020-21 with the Pelicans, while the league’s average is somewhere in the middle: 36.1 this past season, up from 35.4 the previous year.
Jalen Brunson was their only player in the top 100 for three-point percentage (41.6) last term and it goes without saying that his workload needs to be lessened if they’re to improve upon a valiant collective effort under head coach Tom Thibodeau.
Julius Randle had another shaky postseason, but didn’t make his second All-Star appearance by accident. They possess a youthful core, and one increasingly moulded to Thibodeu’s liking while retaining long-term flexibility:
So now, Hart and co must continue their upward trajectory as the franchise’s search for a star free agency capture inevitably continues over the coming seasons.
On his fourth team in six years, the 28-year-old represents a selfless role player that many leaguewide would be wise to take encouragement from.
Picture source: Getty Images, financial information via ESPN and Spotrac
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