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Josh Hart said he hopes to make the New York Knicks his long-term home. His wife seems to agree by posting an adorable photo of their newborn twins rocking the Knicks’ classic orange and blue jersey.
Hart’s wife, Shannon Phillips, delivered their twins last month, ahead of their Game 6 loss in the second round in Miami. The Knicks’ best rebounding guard had to settle with a “makeshift” Zoom call, per ESPN’s Malika Andrews, after he couldn’t make it to his wife’s side on time despite the help of the team, and actor and Knicks superfan Al Palagonia to receive access to helicopters, a private plane and a police escort for his travel plans.
Hart recently told Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks that he plans to decline his $12.9 million player option but hopes he could get a new deal done with the Knicks.
“We’ll probably decline that and do the free agency thing,” Hart told Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks. “My first free agency, I was restricted, and it was a**…I love New York. I love the team. I love the coaching staff. The front office that we have, I think, building in the right direction. Got young guys, draft picks, all those sort of things. Obviously, that would be an ideal place to re-sign there and do that. But, obviously, I know it’s a business; they gotta want me at a certain price, and I gotta want the same thing.”
Hart averaged 10.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting above 50% from deep in 27 regular-season games as a vital cog off the bench with the Knicks. In his first playoff appearance, Hart posted 10.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 0.8 steals, but his 3-point percentage dipped to a dismal 31.3%.
Knicks Expected to Cave into Hart’s Demands
The Knicks are expected to try to keep Hart at all costs after giving up their first-round pick in this year’s draft to acquire him.
“They loved what he did for them,” an Eastern Conference general manager told Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney. “He completely remade that bench, which was a pretty terrible bench for a while there. I think there is no way they let him leave. They will not be looking to give him a four-year deal, but if he insists on it, they probably will cave. They really like him. So, the expectation would be he goes back with the Knicks.”
Josh Hart Recruiting Donte DiVincenzo
Action speaks louder than words.
Proof that Hart’s heart is truly in New York is his pitch to his former Villanova teammates to come and join him and Jalen Brunson.
One of them is Golden State Warriors guard Donte DiVincenzo, who has a $4.7 million player option which he will likely decline to get a richer long-term deal as an unrestricted free agent.
“Those [Villanova] guys in the league, I’m trying to get them to NY,” Hart told Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks in a one-on-one interview posted on June 5. “[Donte], that’s my guy. I was talking to him the other day.”
Hart, Brunson and DiVincenzo won a national championship together at Villanova in 2016.
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