While all eyes may be on Karl-Anthony Towns and his current extension situation with the New York Knicks, there's another vital member of the ball club eligible to ink a new major payday that no one seems to be giving all that much attention to.
Josh Hart is entering the third season of his four-year, $80.9 million deal with the Knicks and, as a result, now finds himself with an opportunity to ink another multi-year pact with the team that could be worth up to $132 million over a four-year span.
Now, the odds of him locking in such a sum are rather unlikely -- at least, if the intention is to remain in New York.
Right now, Leon Rose and company already have some serious coin attached to a bevy of foundational talents, with OG Anunoby earning north of $40 million per year, Mikal Bridges' $150 million deal set to kick in this coming season, and the upcoming extensions for both Towns and, come the summer of 2028, Jalen Brunson.
Fortunately, this Knicks team has a track record of players forgoing full-potential earnings for the sake of staying together. From superstars like Brunson to second-unit rotation pieces such as Landry Shamet, examples of this are truly a dime a dozen at this point.
Should Hart wish to keep the band together, fair or not, he almost certainly will have to follow the same trend.
Josh Hart must accept 'sweet spot' compromise to stay on Knicks
In order for Hart to stay with the Knicks, finding financial compromises in contract negotiations will be a must.
James L. Edwards III believes he has calculated the perfect one.
In a recent piece on Hart's extension situation, The Athletic staff writer believes that an agreement worth $60-62 million in total would be "the sweet spot" for both parties.
Edwards did note that this kind of deal could be seen as enough to both give future financial security to the veteran and the Knicks some breathing room with their salary cap breakdown, though it still would fall short of being "on par" with guys who provide similar contributirons to their respective clubs, with Dillon Brooks and his three-year, $73 million deal being used as a direct example.
Of course, with the built-in fact that, unlike Brooks' situation with the Play-In Tournament-participating Suns, Hart would be continuing to compete for titles with the reigning champion Knicks, perhaps a $10-ish million sacrifice would be seen as worth it in the end.
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