Josh Hart is playing in his first game as the newest member of the New York Knicks on Saturday following his NBA trade deadline move from the Portland Trail Blazers. There's a lot of excitement surrounding this acquisition for the Knicks, but at this point, they might want to hear what Damian Lillard wants to hear about Hart.
Lillard, who played alongside Hart in Portland for about a year before the latter was shipped off to the Knicks a few days ago, has a bit of a warning for New York amid Josh's current contract situation. According to Dame, it's possible that the Knicks could lose Hart this summer in free agency:
“He’s probably going to opt out of the deal that he has now, and you have to assume he’s going to be wanted in the open market,” Lillard said, via Stefan Bondy of the Daily News, “and there’s a chance you lose a player like that if you’re not going to match that number.”
Hart currently has a player option on his deal for the 2023-24 season. If he decides to pick it up, he will earn a guaranteed $12.9 million with the Knicks next year. However, as Lillard said, it's also possible that the 27-year-old decides to opt out of the deal to seek a more lucrative contract. If that happens, then the Knicks will need to match whatever offer opposing teams may put on the table for Hart, unless they want to see him walk away for nothing.
For his part, however, Josh Hart has done his bit to appease Knicks fans. The 6-foot-5 guard/forward hinted that he may have found his new home in New York:
“It’s definitely somewhere that I would definitely like to be,” said Hart. “It’s my third time getting traded, sixth year in the league, fourth team, sixth head coach. It’s been a whirlwind. I didn’t think that was how my first six years were going to be, but I’m looking for a home, and I think this could be it.”
That's all well and good, but up and until Hart places his signature on the dotted line, the reality for the Knicks is that he will remain to be a fight risk for them.
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