Pay-cut talk is all the rage in the NBA right now. Especially if you root for the New York Knicks. Jalen Brunson already did his part, but members of the core must continue to take less money if they’re going to stick together beyond next season.
Nobody should expect Josh Hart to be one of them.
It’s not because he wants out of New York. He feels like a Big Apple lifer. It also isn’t because he’s selfish. Players should not ever be criticized for trying to optimize their on-court earning potential.
Instead, the Knicks shouldn’t expect Hart to take a material pay cut, because he already accepted one.
Josh Hart already did the Knicks a huge favor
Hart is entering the third season of a four-year, $80.9 million extension that he signed in 2023. As part of that agreement, he opted into the final year of his previous contract, which paid him under $13 million and 9.5 percent of the salary cap for the 2023-24 season.
While the combo wing has at times been a divisive figure, particularly when looking at starting-lineup data, there’s no denying he was worth more than the sub-$13 million he made at the time. By opting into the final year of his deal, however, he made it easier for the front office to use the full nontax-payer mid-level exception.
As you might recall, the Knicks gave the MLE that summer to Donte DiVincenzo. Not only would the fellow Villanova alumnus go on to set the franchise record for made threes in a single season, but he was a core component in the Karl-Anthony Towns trade. And we all know how that has turned out for New York.
One decision by Hart a few years ago paved the way for so much of what we see now. You can make the case that the Knicks don’t win the championship if he doesn’t pick up that 2023-24 player option.
The Knicks need more help than Josh Hart can give them anyway
Knowing all of this, expecting Hart to take another pay cut now that he’s extension eligible again isn’t necessarily fair. Equally important, there’s not much the Knicks can hope to trim from his pay stub.
Hart has a $22.4 million team option for 2027-28. That comes out to around 12.9 percent of the salary cap. Starters for title contenders who aren’t on rookie scales don’t typically make much less. And even with his shooting limitations, Hart is a coveted commodity as a combo wing who works his butt off on the glass and serves as a connective ball-mover.
For argument’s sake, though, let’s say he’s willing to ditch the team option as part of an extension, and re-sign at a discount. Taking $5 million less per year wouldn’t move the needle that much, yet it would still represent a pay cut north of 20 percent.
With the NBA reveling in the impact apron concerns are having on roster turnover, the Knicks are going to need someone other than Hart to step up to the plate. Maybe Brunson shocks the world, and takes less yet again when he’s extension-eligible next summer. More likely, New York will cross its fingers that Karl-Anthony Towns is willing to take up the pay-cut mantle.
The front office can also hope Hart is willing to play ball. Again. The Knicks just can’t count on it.
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