Josh Hart revealed at Media Day that he recently re-aggravated a right finger injury for which he previously underwent a procedure, and will attempt to play the season out in a splint rather than have surgery. For their part, the New York Knicks must decide whether they can afford to see how he looks, or if they should get out in front of this bombshell by trading for another wing.
To be honest, this isn’t even really a decision. The Knicks’ are title contenders. They do not have the luxury of time. They need to preempt potential worst-case outcomes with a trade.
The Knicks need more wing options even with Josh Hart
Hart, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Pacome Dadiet are the sole wings currently on the Knicks’ roster. If Hart is anything less than 100 percent or forced to have surgery, they do not have the depth to offset his regression or absence.
Solutions become even scarcer if Dadiet winds up getting shipped out. Rookie Mohamed Diawara is expected to get a standard contract, and piqued plenty of curiosity during summer league. But let’s face it: New York isn’t tethering any part of its fate to the No. 51 pick from the most recent draft.
Similar logic applies to Dadiet. The Knicks have all but said they don’t anticipate him having a role. If he ends up playing, it’s because disaster has struck—with Hart, or with someone else. So even if New York holds onto him, its potential Josh Hart problem isn’t going away.
New York should be scouring the trade market for cheap wings
The mere prospect of Hart being limited or missing time should have the Knicks feverishly searching for other options. If striking a trade comes at the expense of landing one of Brogdon or Shamet, then so be it. Neither of them is ideally suited to filling in as anything bigger than a 2-guard, though Shamet can be deployed as a 3 in spurts.
Since Dadiet and potentially Tyler Kolek already might be available, the Knicks should be dangling one of them in pursuit of a true wing. Granted, it won’t be easy. Both players earn under $3 million, and New York cannot take back more money than it’s sending out. Acquiring a bigger name will require parting with Deuce McBride, Mitchell Robinson, or Hart himself.
Players like Keon Ellis, Justin Champagnie, and Gui Santos are all cheap enough for the Knicks to avoid the most nuclear options. Dadiet alone isn’t getting any of those deals done, but the front office has the Washington Wizards’ first-round pick to dangle. While that sounds like a lot on its face, the selection is top-eight protected, which means it’s basically guaranteed to become 2026 and 2027 seconds.
New York could also do nothing. Hart is going to try gutting it out. Maybe the splint doesn’t impact his shooting, or his finishing. Frankly, though, the Knicks can’t afford to wait. They need to have real wing contingencies in place. And right now, training-camp contracts and all, they don’t.