As James L. Edwards III of The Athletic writes, Knicks guard/forward Josh Hart became eligible on August 10 for a contract extension worth up to $132MM over four years. A four-year extension would require New York to decline its $22.4MM team option on Hart for 2027/28 (he’ll earn $20.9MM this season).
How much would Hart earn on a potential new deal? Edwards considers that question, writing that Hart is unlikely to receive the maximum he’s eligible to make due to New York’s expensive payroll and owner James Dolan‘s unwillingness to surpass the second tax apron (even though there’s technically nothing preventing the team from doing so).
Hart is coming off another strong individual season in which he averaged 12.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.1 steals on .508/.413/.720 shooting in 66 regular season appearances (30.2 minutes per game). He started all 19 of New York’s playoff games (32.3 MPG) en route to the team’s first championship in 53 years, averaging 10.4 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 4.6 APG, 1.7 SPG on .431/.326/.606 shooting.
While Hart’s statistics are impressive — he’s one of the best rebounders in NBA history for his size, Edwards notes — his impact goes far beyond the box score. The 31-year-old is the definition of a winning player, battling for loose balls, providing consistent energy, secondary play-making, pushing the pace in transition, and defending multiple positions. As Edwards puts it, the former Villanova star is the “heart and soul” of the defending champions.
Edwards spoke to a couple league sources about what they think a reasonable deal would look like for both Hart and the Knicks. One suggested a three-year deal worth between $54-62MM, and the other said $60-62MM over three years.
However, Edwards thinks both of those estimates are team-friendly, pointing out that Hart compares favorably to veteran role players like Derrick White, who’s in the second season of a four-year, $118MM extension, and Dillon Brooks, who recently signed a three-year, $73MM extension with Phoenix.
While Edwards believes a three-year deal in the $70-80MM range seems like fair market value, he wonders if the Knicks will be willing to go that high. Edwards does think an extension will be reached “at some point,” but he’s curious to see what a possible compromise might look like.
