Josh Hart on Knicks Contract Extension After Player Option: 'I Want to Call' NY Home

Josh Hart doesn't want to leave the Big Apple.

Hart, who can begin discussing a contract extension with the New York Knicks next week after picking up his $12.9 million player option for 2023-24, told reporters Friday at Team USA camp in Las Vegas that he hopes to remain with the franchise for the foreseeable future.

"Hopefully," Hart said of an extension. "Opting in, I was gonna take it one day at a time. We get there and then we can start having that conversation. Hopefully—that's a place where I want to be and a place I want to call home. So we'll see."

Hart is expected to receive a contract extension worth $75 million over four years, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News reported on July 28.

Hart joined the Knicks during the 2022-23 campaign in a midseason trade from the Portland Trail Blazers and he slot into the team's second unit. He proved to be a valuable addition for the franchise, averaging 10.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 25 games while shooting 58.6 percent from the floor and 51.9 percent from deep.

The 28-year-old was just as good in the 2023 playoffs, averaging 10.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 11 games, five of which were starts, while shooting 47.9 percent from the floor and 31.3 percent from deep.

Given his impact and level of comfort in the lineup, Hart was vocal about wanting to remain with the Knicks in an interview with Andscape's Marc J. Spears in March:

"I want bigger things for my wife and myself. Just find a home somewhere where we are valued and really like living there. And I think that can be New York. I would love for it to be New York and hopefully the organization feels the same way. Coming up, this contract is hopefully my biggest one, one where I'm making sure my family's fully taken care of. So, I've also got to take that into account, too."

Hart is joined by his former Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson and the newly-signed Donte DiVincenzo in New York, making it a desirable situation for the veteran. The team's lineup also includes Quentin Grimes, RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson and Julius Randle.

The Knicks finished the 2022-23 season fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 47-35 record before beating the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs. However, they suffered a disappointing loss to the eighth-seeded Miami Heat in the conference semifinals.

The expectation is that the Knicks will be improved in 2023-24, though it's unlikely they'll compete for the top seed in the Eastern Conference with the likes of the Bucks, Heat, Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers running the show.