Jalen Brunson isn’t worried about Josh Hart letting the contract noise seep into the Knicks’ locker room.
With New York pausing extension talks and Hart’s future suddenly sitting in the background, Brunson said the veteran wing will handle it the right way.
“He's gonna be a professional,” Brunson said Saturday via Jared Schwartz of the New York Post. “Not just him - everybody.
Everyone’s gonna be professional and continue to do their jobs. No matter what the situation is, things are gonna happen.
There's always gonna be a roller coaster every season. Ups and downs emotionally.
No matter what, when we're out there on the court, we're gonna have each other's backs.”
The Knicks announced Friday that they were suspending contract negotiations for now as the organization tries to stay clear of the NBA’s second salary cap apron. Hart is eligible for a four-year, $131.2 million extension, and he is not the only one in that spot - Karl-Anthony Towns and Miles McBride can also sign extensions.
Hart, for his part, didn’t sound rattled after practice Saturday. He said the uncertainty can be tough at times, but he’s not letting it take over his head.
“Everything is gonna work out, so I'm not really too stressed over it, [or] put too much into it,” Hart said after practice Saturday. “Obviously, we have high expectations. It's good to be able to just focus on the season and keep it moving.”
He also acknowledged that the situation can creep into his mindset from day to day. Some days, he said, the contract picture is harder to block out; on others, he can lock in on basketball and nothing else.
In Other News...
Knicks And Karl-Anthony Towns Now Face A Real Long-Term Problem
Karl-Anthony Towns and the Knicks have spent the summer in extension talks, but the conversation has not produced a deal. New York has decided to set those discussions aside for now and shift its attention to the upcoming season, leaving the veteran big man in a familiar holding pattern as the team tries to keep its focus on the court.
Towns has made clear he wants to stay in New York, but the organization has not shown urgency to lock anything in, and the two sides remain apart on the terms. With the season approaching, the absence of movement adds a little more intrigue to a situation that was supposed to be straightforward, and it leaves the long-term picture murkier than either side likely wanted. [Read more 🡒]
Landry Shamet Is Putting Real Pressure On A Knicks Role Battle
Landry Shamet came to the Knicks on an Exhibit 9 deal in September 2024, and he has turned that low-profile signing into something much more meaningful. He has carved out real rotation minutes, and his preseason work has only strengthened the case that he belongs in the mix when New York starts sorting through the back end of its guard rotation.
The bigger issue now is where that leaves the teams sixth-man conversation and Miles McBrides spot in the pecking order. Shamets steady play has added another layer to a group that already needed clarity, and if he keeps forcing the issue, the Knicks may have a tougher decision than they expected as they weigh how to balance immediate production with long-term roster flexibility. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Brunson Addresses Knicks Tension Around Two Key Starters
The Knicks have put a pause on extension talks with two of their most important starters, Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart, as the team shifts its attention to getting ready for the upcoming season. A team spokesperson said the conversations will pick back up later in the year, which leaves both players in a familiar holding pattern even as they remain central pieces of the roster.
Jalen Brunson tried to steady the moment by emphasizing that everyone in the room understands the job in front of them and will stay professional no matter where contract discussions stand. For a team trying to build on its expectations, the timing is delicate, but Brunsons message was clear enough: the Knicks plan to keep the focus on basketball first, even with a couple of important decisions still waiting in the background. [Read more 🡒]