LAS VEGAS -- Heading into NBA free agency this summer, there was little chance Josh Hart would be playing anywhere but with the New York Knicks for the 2023-24 season. Two paths existed for how Hart and the Knicks could stay together.
One was to have Hart opt into the $12.9 million contract he had for the upcoming season, giving New York additional salary cap flexibility to use its full midlevel exception in free agency -- and to leave open the option for Hart to sign a contract extension later this summer. The other was for Hart to opt out of that deal and set himself up for a hefty raise ahead of the season.