Josh Hart Agreed To A 4-Year, $81 Million Extension With The Knicks

Josh Hart was among the most impactful in-season acquisitions by any team last season, as the Knicks dealt Cam Reddish to Portland for the former Villanova star, who became a key rotation piece as New York reached the second round of the playoffs.

Hart’s two-way abilities on the wing were on display for the Knicks, as he provided defensive versatility on guards and wings, while being an excellent rebounder and off-ball cutter and shooter (albeit a reluctant one) on offense in his 25 games in New York. In the postseason, Hart averaged 10.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game in New York’s 11 contests, proving his game more than translates to the playoffs. After deciding to pick up his player option for the 2023-24 campaign, all signs pointed to Hart and New York agreeing to a contract extension that would keep him around in the long-term.

That ended up finally happening on Wednesday, the first day that Hart was eligible to agree to a new deal with the Knicks. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Hart put pen to paper on a 4-year extension worth $81 million that will run through 2027-28.

It was notable that Hart was the only Team USA player who did not participate in their exhibition earlier this week against the Puerto Rico, but as Wojnarowski noted, the expectation is he’ll be a full go once everything is sorted out.

The last few summers have been quite busy for the Knicks when it comes to locking up talent from Villanova. Last year, the team agreed to a deal with Jalen Brunson, and this time around, New York extended Hart and signed Donte DiVincenzo in free agency.