Critics 'Hart' Knicks' Trade Deadline Deal

The New York Knicks' playoff push has enjoyed a lauded boost from Josh Hart, who came over from the Portland Trail Blazers in a deal at the NBA trade deadline.

Josh Hart was traded from the Portland Trail Blazers to the New York Knicks at the NBA trade deadline and has become an instant boost to the team's playoff push. 

Bleacher Report recognized Hart's value to New York in a grading of deadline deals a month after the freeze, bestowing the Knicks an A-minus for how they've come out thus far.

B/R writes:

"This deal goes from a "C" to almost an "A" in my book. Hart's willingness to shoot threes now that he's left Portland has been overstated; he's drilling 60.9 percent of his looks beyond the arc but is still taking fewer than three per 36 minutes.

Everything else about the Hart experience has been properly portrayed though. He is a defensive workaholic who guards and rebounds like a big, and his motor and IQ inject the offense with pace and ball movement.

Bringing Hart off the bench is a luxury, and his partnership with Sixth Man of the Year co-favorite Immanuel Quickley is annihilatory. New York is obliterating opponents by 17.6 points per 100 possessions with both of its star reserves on the court. Head coach Tom Thibodeau has even been willing to pair Hart and Quickley with Jalen Brunson, and the results are largely drunk on domination."

The Blazers traded Hart to the Knicks in exchange for Cam Reddish, Ryan Arcidiacono, Svi Myhailiuk, and a lottery-protected 2023 first-round pick. 

Hart, 28, has seen his playing time regress from 33.4 minutes per game as a starter with Portland, to 29.2 minutes a night as a key reserve with New York. Nevertheless, he's upped his scoring from 9.5 to 11.0 points a game, and his 62.3 percent success rate from the field would be a career-best,

It's no coincidence that Hart's arrival gave way to nine consecutive victories, five of which won by 15 points or more (even if he refuses to accept credit for the tally). Over 36 minutes, Hart's rebound tally goes up to 8.3 a game, nearly in line with what he was pulling down in Portland (8.8). 

Hart's relentless rebounding, hustle, tempo, basketball IQ, and championship pedigree from college (winning the 2016 national title alongside Jalen Brunson at Villanova). It's certainly an upgrade from Reddish, who hadn't taken to Madison Square Garden's hardwood for over two months at the time of his departure. 

Arcidiacono only saw 2.4 minutes per game in his tenure with the Knicks, and Myhailiuk (immediately traded to Charlotte after the deal) has yet to make a splash in the NBA. For what the Knicks received, and the winning it has materialized, New York has reason to feel confident heading into the postseason with Hart in tow.

The Knicks (39-29) have a busy weekend ahead, facing the Los Angeles couple in a back-to-back that begins against the Clippers on Saturday (4 p.m. ET, MSG). 

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