Hangi NBA Takımları Bu Yaz Josh Hart'ı İmzalamakla İlgilenebilir?

One of the best midseason additions was Josh Hart being acquired by the New York Knicks in February. The transaction with the Portland Trail Blazers brought the 28-year-old back to the east coast in exchange for a lottery protected 2023 first round pick, which would have become four second round picks if New York had failed to make the playoffs.

The acquisition was a heist as it led the Knicks to having the 3rd best net rating over the final 26 games of the regular season. The team rampaged through the rest of the league by winning 17 of those games— a percentage that would have resulted in the Knicks grabbing the top slot in the Western Conference during the regular season.

It’s likely that the Knicks retain Hart. He has a funky contract that forces him to opt out by June 24th, otherwise it will become fully guaranteed at $12.96 million for the 2023-24 season. That number is a bit lower than what he can make on the open market, especially after some NY beat writers reported the Knicks have been interested in bringing him back on a deal for around $18 million over the next four seasons. Obviously he would make a ton of sense to return, but he has a game that could help a multitude of teams. Here are a few that could make some sense for the veteran wing:

Houston Rockets

The buzz out of Houston has been pronounced in the organization’s desire to not only get better, but to bring back their old friend James Harden. The former MVP will be a free agent this year and, if they are able to bring him in, they may want to add more veteran talent in order to spearhead a winning team for the 2023-24 season. They may have missed out on Victor Wembanyama but the 4th pick in the draft can still sport an interesting trade chip or developing prospect to flank next to infused talent.

Hart would be a great culture setter for a Houston Rockets team that is attempting to do the same with a new coaching staff (completely fair to criticize what kind of shift they’re gunning for with the hire of Ime Udoka). The juiced up transition game of Hart would be helpful, but most notably the effort given to win each and every night would be the key difference maker. Kelly Iko recently tossed out some names that the team could go after:

Outside of Harden, other high-ranking targets for Houston include Brook Lopez, Dillon dereleri and restricted free agents Cam Johnson and Austin, league sources said. They also said acquiring a veteran point guard is Houston’s primary objective, meaning even if a move for Harden didn’t materialize, names like Mike Conley, Jordan Clarkson, Donte DiVincenzo and even former Rockets player Chris Paul could be considered should they become available.

All of those names reflect players that can be productive, contributing members of good teams (in the right roles). Hart would provide a defensive presence on the wing, which would help Houston crawl out of the doldrums on that side of the ball. The aggressiveness of a team like the Rockets could put Hart in a position to maximize his free agency window with a big deal.

Indiana Pacers

Indiana performed at a .500 level when Tyrese Haliburton played in a game this past season. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the Pacers are all in on winning, but it does point to the idea that they may be willing to add talent in the near-term to supplement a team that may not be that far away.

This season was a rocky one for Chris Duarte who ultimately ended up playing less than 20 minutes per game after averaging 28 during his rookie season. He may not be out of the team’s plans, but he certainly doesn’t have the same trust level in Rick Carlisle that he had during his first year in the league. Hart could provide a reliable style that could complement the shooting focus of the current group of guards on the team. Buddy Hield, Bennedict Mathurin, and Haliburton are not the strongest of defenders, which could make the fit pretty seamless when Myles Turner is on the court to space out the floor.

The Pacers were the worst defensive rebounding team in the NBA last year and would benefit from the superb athletic ability of Hart. Over the past four seasons he has ranked in the 95th percentile or above at his position in grabbing defensive boards. The Pacers should have about $28 million of cap space to play with this summer, which should be more than enough to bring him in.

Charlotte Hornets

Miles Bridges is the cloud that hangs over all of this. His situation is still quite murky, but the team seems to have an interest in bringing him back, according to a recent report from Jonathan Givony.

“The front office would like to have him back on the roster next year.”

That doesn’t necessarily indicate that they are in “win now” mode, but the organizational structure might. Mitch Kupchak probably needs the team to show some improvement and that could start with embedding some veteran pieces to the roster. Hart would help give the team some consistent minutes that would involve both offensive and defensive versatility.

He would be a perfect fit for a coach that already digs his style of play, according to Steve Clifford.

“I think he’s a winning player. He plays both ends, and he’s shot the ball well there,” Clifford told Scotto. “I think he has the ability to defend primary scorers, which right now if you want to talk about playoffs, that’s a big deal because teams play five out or four out and one in. He can guard those guys and make it hard on them, which not a lot of guys can. I think he’d be viewed across the league as a guy who does the little things. He’s a great teammate and plays with purpose and energy every night. There aren’t a lot of those guys.”

The direction and positional need of the team is dependent on what they do at the 2nd pick in the draft, but the veteran’s play would be a boon to such a young team.