Josh Hart finalizing four-year, $81 million extension with the Knicks

August 9 update: The Knicks are finalizing a four-year, $81 million extension with Josh Hart. The guard accepted his player option in an effort to secure a long-term deal and New York obliged.

New York Knicks guard Josh Hart has accepted his $12.9 million player option to return to the franchise, according to multiple media reports. Hart emerged as a strong contributor for New York after being added by the team at the trade deadline.

Hart was traded from the Portland Trailblazers to the New York Knicks midway through the 2022-23 season. After averaging 19.9 points for Portland over 13 games in 2021-22, he was limited to just 9.5 points in 51 games with the Trailblazers in 2022-23, and added 10.2 points per game for the Knicks over 25 games. However, his rebound numbers were some of his career-best this past season — 8.2 per game with Portland, and 7.0 per game with New York. Of all the shooting guards in the league, Hart is one of the best rebounders among his peers.

There are rumors about a James Harden deal involving the Knicks, so we’ll see if Hart opting in puts him at risk of being included in that negotiation or if New York leaves him out.