Trail Blazers News: Portland Did Ex-Player A Favor During 2023 Trade

It was a stand-up move.

Dec 17, 2022; Houston, Texas, USA; (from L-to-R) Portland Trail Blazers forward Drew Eubanks (24), guard Damian Lillard (0) and guard Josh Hart (11) during the game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports / Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports

Swingman Josh Hart became something of a spiritual leader for the New York Knicks during the club's run through the Eastern Conference playoffs, which led the club to within a game of the Eastern Conference Finals.

And none of it would have been possible without the Portland Trail Blazers.

Per Zach Lowe of ESPN, the Trail Blazers only negotiated with the Knicks when it came to trading him ahead of the 2022-23 season's deadline, as the team knew he wanted to be dealt there. In what ultimately became a four-team transaction, Portland also shipped out the draft rights to Bojan Dubljevic and Daniel Diez. The Trail Blazers added Matisse Thybulle, Cam Reddish, Ryan Arcidiacono, New York's 2023 first round draft selection (which wound up being the No. 23 pick — used by Portland on Iowa forward Kris Murray), and the draft rights to Ante Tomic.

Hart reunited with his former Villanova champion teammates Jalen Brunson, now an All-NBA point guard with New York and the team's best player, and Donte DiVincenzo. Their chemistry was instantly reignited. Now all that remains is for them to bring in Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets.

During his first full regular season with the Knicks, Hart averaged 9.4 points on a .434/.310/.791 slash line, 8.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 0.9 steals a night, while starting in 42 of his 81 healthy contests. In the playoffs, Hart started every game for the Knicks, averaging 14.5 points on .440/.373/.729 shooting splits, 11.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists a steal and 0.8 blocks, across 42.2 minutes.

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