The Knicks can talk all they want about Josh Hart’s extension, but the real key sits with Karl-Anthony Towns.
That’s the contract that has to be sorted out first. Until New York knows what Towns will make in 2027-28, it’s hard to pin down what Hart’s next deal should look like.
Towns currently has a $61 million player option for the season after this coming one. Because the Knicks do not want to cross the second apron, that number has to come down if they’re going to keep the starting five intact.
The good news for New York is that Towns will be making less than that option on his next contract. The problem is that the Knicks need to know exactly how much less before they can properly map out Hart’s extension.
Hart’s situation is a little different because the Knicks control more of the timing. He has a $22.4 million team option next summer, and if the two sides don’t land an extension, New York can simply pick that up and keep him from reaching the open market. That gives the team less pressure to rush.
Still, the two deals are tied together. The big question is whether Hart’s next contract will be built by declining his team option or by having him pick it up first.
League sources told The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III that the cleanest path would be for Hart to take the team option and then extend from there. But that doesn’t automatically mean it’s the only path.
If Towns picks up his player option and Hart stays at $22.4 million, the Knicks would be about $7 million under the second apron and still have at least four roster spots to fill. That margin gets much tighter if they decide to keep Deuce McBride.
If Towns’ new number drops into the $40 million or $50 million range, then paying Hart more than $20 million in 2027-28 becomes a lot easier to handle. And if Towns’ salary comes down far enough, New York could even give Hart a higher 2027-28 figure while structuring his deal to decline year by year, which would give the Knicks more flexibility as they get ready to pay Jalen Brunson market value for the first time in his career.
Hart’s love for New York and his willingness to work through the business side make him a natural fit for whatever the Knicks decide. But that loyalty could get tested if the team asks him to accept another discount.
Maybe the Knicks won’t need that. Maybe they’ll need to trim the team option number and then add raises later.
They could pick up the option and adjust his salary from there. They could also wait until next summer to revisit the whole thing.
There are plenty of routes available. Which one the Knicks and Hart end up taking depends almost entirely on what happens with Towns.
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