While they have not brought in a big name All-Star through the years, the New York Knicks have quietly turned themselves into a contending franchise by finding versatile, contributing weapons at every single position. At the trade deadline last season, the Knicks expanded on their depth with this exact type of player in Josh Hart.

A multi-purpose swingman who does a little bit of everything to impact winning, Hart instantly made his presence felt in New York and he helped them win their first playoff series since 2013. After opting into his player option for the 2023-24 season this offseason, the Knicks and Hart agreed to a four-year, $81 million contract extension on Wednesday, locking him up with the team through the 2027-28 season.

On Thursday, the team officially announced this extension, with team president Leon Rose offering his viewpoint of Hart remaining with the Knicks for the foreseeable future.

“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,” Rose stated. “The leadership and competitiveness Josh brings fits perfectly with the culture we are building.”

New York has made it a point of emphasis to find players who give it their all for all 48 minutes every single night and to add players to their roster who can fill multiple roles. This is one of the main reasons they signed Donte DiVincenzo in free agency this offseason and as Rose laid out, this was the main reason behind Hart receiving his extension.

In a total of 25 games with the Knicks last season, Hart averaged 10.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game while shooting 58.6 percent from the floor and 51.9 percent from three-point range. New York went 17-8 in those 25 games he played in to end the regular season, the third-best record in the league at the time.

Per team release, Hart ranked second in the entire league with 164 total rebounds amongst players coming off the bench since February 11 and he was the only player in the NBA to record at least 250 points, 160 rebounds and 80 assists off the bench during this span.

Julius Randle is an All-Star, Jalen Brunson is on the path to becoming an All-Star, RJ Barrett continues to be a young, high-potential player the organization is high on and players like Hart, DiVincenzo and recent first-round pic Quentin Grimes continue to fill the holes this team has on the perimeter and wing. The Knicks have everything they need to be successful moving forward and Hart's contract extension truly was a no-brainer move for them.