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The Knicks are getting praised left and right after extending Josh Hart to a long-term extension that ensures them of having the Villanova championship trio with Jalen Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo in New York for the foreseeable future.
Suddenly, the Knicks are viewed through a different lens around the league, especially the NBA stars.
“Listening to our insiders having a little bit of an ear on the ground in the league, stars around the NBA are taking notice [of the Knicks],” Malika Andrews said on the August 9 episode of the “NBA Today.” “They are seeing what is building in New York, and when you look at the moves that they’re making and the [cap] space they’re going to have in the next couple of years coming up here, they are poised to be able to add that big name and actually have the infrastructure to be able to back it up.”
According to ESPN’s Front Office Insider Bobby Marks, the Knicks are one of the only six NBA teams in 2024-25 that do not have a max contract on their books.
WNBA player and NBA analyst Chiney Ogwumike “absolutely agree” that the Knicks are taking steps in the right direction after extending Josh Hart.
“And now hopefully they can put it all together,” Ogwumike said on the “NBA Today.” “I was gonna say and save you more because the Knicks, like, if you’re a star looking to play somewhere and you look at their roster, you’re like, ‘Oh, I could do that.’ Before, the sell used to be, ‘Oh, hey, you want to play in New York, you want to get that, I don’t want to say clout, but that notoriety by being a star player in New York City at Madison Square Garden,’ now it’s like the basketball is what’s bringing you there. So it’s the best of both worlds. So I like exactly what they’ve done.
Leon Rose Lauds Josh Hart’s Impact
Rose cited why the Knicks quickly locked up Hart to the lucrative extension in a statement the Knicks PR released on Thursday.
“Josh’s immediate impact on our team last season – both on and off the court — cannot be understated, and we are thrilled to announce he has signed an extension,” said Knicks president Leon Rose. “The leadership and competitiveness Josh brings fits perfectly with the culture we are building.”
The Knicks went 17-8 with Hart, including winning their first nine games, to finish the regular season as the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference.
Hart knocked down 52% from downtown in 25 regular-season games with the Knicks. He lifted the Knicks bench into the league’s top four in net rating (+3.2). Hart averaged 10.2 points and 7.0 rebounds, the best among guards, 3.6 assists and 1.4 steals during his first 25 games with the Knicks.
Jalen Brunson-Luka Doncic Face-off Spices up USA-Slovenia Warmup Game
Brunson will face his former Dallas teammate Luka Doncic for only the second time on Saturday when Team USA continues its 2023 FIBA World Cup buildup against Slovenia in Spain.
Brunson, who bolted the Mavericks last year’s free agency, is now a rising star with the Knicks and the de-facto leader of Team USA. On the other hand, Doncic remains to be the face of the Mavericks and Slovenia that is looking to make a deep run in the world championships.
“We haven’t really talked about the game or playing against each other, but we talk every now and then, always try to check up on each other,” Brunson told The Athletic ahead of Saturday’s game. “I just know he’s a competitor. Everyone obviously knows what he’s capable of. … Obviously, when we’re playing and we aren’t teammates, we aren’t friends, but off the court, it’s (a) special (relationship).”
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