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Josh Hart interested in signing multi-year deal with Knicks

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James Foglio
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James Foglio Sports Editor

James is a Basketball Insiders contributor. He earned his bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. James enjoys watching sports and helping gamblers win money.

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Sports Editor

Updated21 Mar 2023

Josh Hart interested in signing multi-year deal with Knicks

In February, Josh Hart was traded by the Portland Trail Blazers to the New York Knicks, and now the Villanova product is interested in signing a long-term deal with his new team. Hart’s family is his top priority. Since the trade, New York is 12-4 with the sixth-year guard/forward.

“I want bigger things for my wife and myself,” Hart told Marc J. Spears of Andscape during an interview. “Just find a home somewhere where we are valued and really like living there. And I think that can be New York. I would love for it to be New York and hopefully the organization feels the same way.”

Referring to a few NBA betting sites, Josh Hart and the Knicks have 13th-ranked odds to win the championship. Some sportsbooks are showing better odds for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Philadelphia 76ers.

“Coming up, this contract is hopefully my biggest one, one where I’m making sure my family’s fully taken care of. So, I’ve also got to take that into account, too,” added Josh Hart.

Through 67 appearances this season, the Knicks guard is averaging 9.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. Plus, he’s shooting a career-best 52.7% from the floor and 36.5% outside the arc.

Josh Hart hopes to sign a long-term deal with Knicks to remain in the Big Apple with family members

However, through 16 games off the bench with the Knicks, the 2017 first-round pick is playing better with New York than he did as a Trail Blazer this season. He’s averaging 11.1 points, 7.0 boards, 3.9 assists, and 1.4 steals. Not to mention, he’s shooting 60.6% from the field and 55.6% from downtown in a Knicks uniform.

In addition to ranking 18th in offensive rating (125.6), Josh Hart might have found his comfort zone. On Feb. 13, in New York’s 124-106 win over the Brooklyn Nets, the guard scored a season-high 27 points in 28 minutes off the bench. Hart amassed four rebounds, two dimes, and one steal as well.

Is a contract extension in his future? Josh Hart is earning $12.96 million this season and has a 2023-24 player option worth the same amount. This is part of the three-year, $38 million contract the guard signed with the New Orleans Pelicans in 2021.

Hart’s worth will depend entirely on how he performs in the playoffs. That thought has to be on the minds of Knicks G.M. Scott Perry and team president Leon Rose. After all, Jalen Brunson inked a four-year, $104 million deal with the team during the offseason. Josh Hart just wants fair compensation.

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