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For some time now, it has been rumored that trade-deadline acquisition Josh Hart is expected to opt out of the final year of his three-year, $37.9 million deal with the New York Knicks and test the 2023 free agency market. However, the expectation is that in doing so he’ll likely decide to re-up with the orange and blue on a longer-term contract.
Though all of this at the moment is simply just hearsay, Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report has gone as far as to predict that the veteran wing will, in fact, be staying put in the Big Apple for the long haul.
“The 28-year-old became an integral part of this rotation almost overnight. New York fared a whopping 17.1 points better per 100 possessions when he played than when he didn’t, per NBA.com. It’s been such an effortless transition that after only three games with the team, Hart told reporters this was “a perfect situation for me on and off the court.”
“The business of basketball, of course, sometimes gets in the way, and if the Knicks want to keep Hart, they might have to shell out some serious coin. He has a $13 million player option for next season, per Spotrac, but he can beat that on the open market—possibly by a lot. Whenever Hart declines that option, though, the Knicks should be ready and willing to work with him on finding a pay rate that works for both sides,” Buckley wrote.
Since Josh Hart’s debut outing back on February 11, the Knicks have gone 17-8 while the vet has posted impressive two-way averages of 10.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.4 steals while shooting 58.6% from the floor and 51.9% from deep.
Derrick Rose Projected to Leave Knicks in Free Agency
Though Buckley believes the Knicks will wind up retaining Josh Hart assuming he tests the free agency market this summer, he does not feel the same way about the likes of Derrick Rose.
In fact, in the same piece, he projected that Leon Rose and company will end up declining the former MVP’s final season under contract (holds a team option for 2023-24), which would make him an unrestricted free agent.
“When the Knicks nabbed Derrick Rose for cheap at the 2021 trade deadline, they saw a speedy and sizable return on investment. He was a rotation fixture as soon as he stepped off the plane, and he wound up pacing New York in points per game that postseason. The Knicks gave the 34-year-old a three-year deal that same summer, but his body betrayed him shortly thereafter.
“If injuries didn’t force him off the floor, then age eroded his talents. In two seasons since signing that deal, the three-time All-Star has suited up just 53 times combined. He hardly sniffed the floor in 2022-23, and when he did, it wasn’t pretty. He shot just 38.4 percent overall and 30.2 percent from distance. New York has zero reason to pick up his $15.6 million team option, and it’s hard to say why either side would want to keep this partnership rolling,” wrote Buckley.
Buckley would continue by suggesting that should Derrick Rose still have the desire to continue his playing career, the Chicago Bulls could be a quality, full-circle landing spot that he should consider.
Kevin Garnett Offers Advice to Knicks Star Julius Randle
Julius Randle may be amid arguably the best season of his nine-year NBA career, but Hall of Fame big man Kevin Garnett believes there are still things he needs to work on before he can take that extra step.
During a recent episode of KG Certified: Ticket & the Truth, the 15-time All-Star shared some advice that he believes could help the Knicks centerpiece advance his game closer to superstardom.
“I think the next step for him, though, is being a solid leader for those guys,” Garnett said. “He got to learn — listen, a lot of times as the best player, you take it in all energy, and you know when you sit down on that bench, and you’re giving out, and everybody’s going sometimes you gotta sit, you gotta take a breath. You got to be the one to be the bigger person in conversations. You got to be more poised.”
Though Julius Randle’s on-paper stats of 25.1 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game are certainly something to behold, his leadership is something that some have brought into question throughout the year.
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