The Knicks and Josh Hart have agreed to postpone a decision on his player option, a source confirmed to SNY on Saturday.
Hart and New York have agreed to extend their deadline from Sunday midnight to Thursday.
Hart could sign up and extend a $12.9 million contract or turn down the option and become an unrestricted free agent, where he can sign a new contract with the Knicks or another team.
If Hart accepts the player’s option, he would be eligible to sign a four-year extension worth up to $80 million with the Knicks in August.
It would also give the Knicks access to the full $12.4 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception and create more room under the salary apron.
The Knicks may want more space under the apron as they consider a move that would cap them at the apron.
They would be strictly capped at the apron if they used their full non-taxpayer mid-tier exception.
They would also be apron capped if they executed a trade that returned more than 110% of the salary they sent.
The full mid-level exception would give the Knicks better resources in free agency. It should be noted here that members of the organization are in favor of pursuing potential free agents Donte Di Vincenzo.
If they sign DiVincenzo, the Knicks should create a rotation spot for him. They could do this by trading a rotation player to a team that can absorb the salary in the cap space or by trading two rotation players for one in return.
The Knicks traded for Hart in a trade deal with the Portland Trail Blazers. After his acquisition, Hart helped turn the Knicks around. The 28-year-old averaged 10.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.4 steals in 30 minutes per game during the regular season after being traded to the Knicks.
Often coming off the bench, Hart gave the Knicks a spark with his rebounding and defensive skills, as well as his energy and restlessness.
He was instrumental in the Knicks’ first-round game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, a series New York won in five games. He averaged 11.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.
Although the Knicks were eliminated by the Miami Heat in the second round, Hart’s first playoff series saw him average 32.1 minutes, 10.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 11 games. in total.
While the Knicks and Hart agreed to an extension, the team has already decided to decline Derrick Rosethe team’s option earlier on Saturday.