Knicks SF Josh Hart Due For Big Payday; How Much Should He Get?
The New York Knicks hope to make a big splash in free agency this summer, but the team also has a big task on its own in trying to keep midseason trade acquisition Josh Hart.
Hart, 28, was crucial for the Knicks in their stretch run after coming over from the trade deadline, averaging 10.2 points and seven rebounds per game with New York in 25 appearances. In the playoffs, Hart maintained his positive production, which he should be able to parlay into a nice new contract this summer now that he has expressed his intentions to decline the $12.9 million player option originally due his way on the contract that came over from Portland.
Hart would be the sixth-best free agent on the market, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic.
"Hart was outstanding after his trade to New York and had a really good stretch in the second half of 2021-22 in the brief window between his trade to Portland and the Blazers pivoting to abject tanking," The Athletic writes. "That said, New York won big by bringing him in from Portland for the cost of a late first. Hart surely will opt out of his below-market contract, but one presumes he’ll be back in New York on a multi-year deal that pays him like a plus wing starter (in the $20 million range) for the next three or four years."
A $20 million per year contract for a sixth man is pricey, but Hart has earned every penny. His chemistry with Jalen Brunson, first developed at Villanova University, also adds to his value and makes him a top priority for the Knicks to sign this offseason.
This could hurt New York's chances at signing any bigger outside free agents, but aside from Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Fred VanVleet, and former Knicks center Kristaps Porzingis, there aren't many options on the open market better than Hart.
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