Since being acquired by the New York Knicks back on February 8, Josh Hart has proven to be an invaluable part of the club’s success rate. As a member of the organization, the veteran has lost just four games while aiding in their efforts toward 12 victories during this stretch.
Currently, in the second year of a three-year, $37.9 million deal with a player option in the final season, the expectation is that Hart will ultimately opt out this coming summer and become a free agent.
Though the concept of such an act could arguably be a cause for concern, recently, the 28-year-old made comments regarding his future that should have Knicks fans feeling rather optimistic heading into the offseason.
“I want bigger things for my wife and myself,” Hart told Andscape’s Marc J. Spears. “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. 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.”
“Just find a home somewhere where we are valued and really like living there. I would love for it to be New York and hopefully the organization feels the same way.”
A free agent following this season, Josh Hart wants to stay with the Knicks t.co/kc0RLrRsHf
Hart, who currently resides in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, would continue his discussion with Spears by stating that he’ll “probably be a Westchester guy” if, and, most likely, when, he re-signs with the Knicks this summer.
Since first suiting up for New York back on February 11, the wing has found himself posting solid two-way averages of 11.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.4 steals per game on 60.6% shooting from the floor, and 55.6% shooting from deep.
Immanuel Quickley Could Get Big Deal From Knicks
Josh Hart isn’t the only player looking to sign a lofty new deal this coming summer, as Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley is expected to sign a “big extension” with New York.
Currently in his third season in the association, Quickley is putting forth a stellar campaign, boasting career highs virtually all across the board.
His efforts throughout the year have certainly not gone unnoticed, and, during a March 20 episode of The Lowe Post podcast, host Zach Lowe gave the 23-year-old a major endorsement for this year’s Sixth Man of the Year award.
“Quickley is just a menace to society and he just feels, to me — and this is almost unfair to Brogdon because it’s demeriting him for playing on a better team with two superstars or one superstar and one borderline All-NBA player at least in Jaylen Brown — Quickley just feels more essential to the Knicks’ identity and feel and style than Brogdon does in Boston,” Lowe said.
“Brogdon feels like this ingredient you plop in, he plays a little differently than the rest of the Celtics, like, ‘Go do your thing, get us some buckets…’ Quickley feels essential to the fabric of the Knicks in a way that Brogdon doesn’t the Celtics.”
Zach Lowe and Chris Herring (both are awards voters) today outlined the reasons why Immanuel Quickley should be Sixth Man of the Year favorite over Malcolm Brogdon.
Quickley is still +260 6MOY on FD. That price is wrong.
Throughout the season, Quickley has been found high up on the odds list for the illustrious honor, with some such as David Verstberger of SNY going as far as to predict that he’ll ultimately come away with the moniker come year’s end.
Through 72 games played in 2022-23, the combo guard is posting averages of 13.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.2 assists while shooting 35.7% from distance.
Since the new year, however, Immanuel Quickley has gone on to elevate his game to an entirely new level, as he’s been posting 15.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists on 47.8% shooting from the floor and 37.9% shooting from deep.
Jalen Brunson Upset Knicks Couldn’t Win for Julius Randle
Monday night, Julius Randle registered the highest-scoring game of his career, dropping a whopping 57 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Unfortunately, despite his miraculous efforts, the Knicks wound up falling in front of their home crowd to the tune of 140-134.
Following the outing, stud point guard Jalen Brunson spoke about the big man’s performance, voicing to reporters how Randle’s astounding efforts made the loss even tougher for the team to bear.
“He played so well. He brought us back. He played unbelievable. We just got to be better as a team to help him make that career night feel like something special. But, I mean, when you lose, that kind of just trumps all the feeling out of everything. So, I’m thankful for him bringing us back in the game, but as a team, we got to be better collectively,” Brunson said postgame.
Logging 36 minutes on the night, Brunson posted 23 points, 10 assists, 2 rebounds, and 2 steals on 50.0% shooting from the field.
The Knicks will have a chance to get back into the win column Wednesday night, as they’ll be down in South Beach taking on the Miami Heat.
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Josh Hart Issues Statement on Future With Knicks: ‘I Want Bigger Things’