NBA transfer: Former Lakers player receives $80 million contract from New York Knicks

According to information from reputable journalist Adrian Wojnarowski, Josh Hart has just reached an agreement to extend his contract with the New York Knicks for another 4 seasons.

The former Los Angeles Lakers defender will receive more than $ 81 million in 4 years, sticking with the Madison Square Garden team until the summer of 2028.

Previously, Josh Hart had just activated the final year clause (Player Option) under the old contract with a salary of 13 million USD for the upcoming 2023-24 season.

It seemed that he would play an extra year for the New York Knicks and try his hand at the free transfer market next year. But the 28-year-old defender has agreed to stay with the most expensive team in the NBA at the moment.

Josh Hart's salary will increase by one and a half times when the new contract is activated from the 2024-25 season, receiving an average of $ 20 million per season over 4 years.

This will be the first major contract in the career of a player who kicked off his NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2017.

Last season, Josh Hart was traded from the Portland Trail Blazers to the New York Knicks in February (NBA Trade Deadline). Originally a three-and-D player, he immediately integrated well with the new team and left many impressions.

Over 25 games with New York, Hart averaged 10.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists despite coming on as a substitute. His 3-pointer hit the 50% threshold, becoming one of the Knicks' rare consistent pitchers.

Josh Hart played for the Los Angeles Lakers from 2017 to 2019. He was later traded to the New Orleans Pelicans along with Ronzo Ball and Brandon Ingram, which transferred Anthony Davis as a teammate of LeBron James to the Lakers.

The defender in 1995 played quite well in the Pelicans shirt and helped him pocket his first long-term contract (3 years). But then again he was put on the exchange table and switched colors to the Portland Trail Blazers.

At this moment, Josh Hart is playing for the US basketball team to prepare for the 2023 FIBA ​​World Cup. Next to him are former teammate Brandon Ingram (Pelicans) and current teammate Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks).

Despite being fully devoted to the national team shirt, Hart still received good news with the first major contract in his playing career.