In an offseason in which we’ve seen the Knicks shake the roster up, likely, Leon Rose isn’t done just yet. While there’s likely nothing massive on the way, Rose has some tasks he must accomplish before the start of the 2023-24 season.
These are things that some fans are honestly surprised haven’t been done yet. Despite this, fans should still be confident that Rose will get the job done to give New York the best chance possible to succeed this upcoming season.
3 tasks Leon Rose and the Knicks must accomplish before the 2023-24 season
3. Extend Josh Hart
This offseason, many thought that Josh Hart would decline his player option to secure a longer, higher-paying contract. However, Hart surprisingly decided to accept his option for the 2023-24 season. While fans now know he did this so the Knicks could sign Donte DiVincenzo, he still needs an extension soon.
Hart was incredibly important to the Knicks’ run toward the end of the season to be a top-five seed in the East. The way he perfectly meshed with the roster and upped his play to a whole other level was special. Alongside this, Hart has close personal connections with Jalen Brunson and the newly signed DiVincenzo as they are all former Villanova Wildcats. This makes it pretty easy to see why he must be extended.
During 25 regular season games with the Knicks, Hart averaged 10.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.4 steals. In addition to this, Hart was insanely efficient with New York, shooting 58.6% from the field and 51.9% from deep 2.1 attempts. While this level of efficiency isn’t sustainable, he has historically been a rather efficient player throughout his career.
A Hart extension would likely exceed $15 million a season. Some may complain about this price, but for reference, players making $15-18 million include Davis Bertans, Marcus Morris, and Duncan Robinson. Hart is miles better than all three of these players and in today’s NBA, $15 million is nearly chump change.