Josh Hart is going to be reunited with former Villanova teammate Jalen Brunson with the Knicks.
Knicks president Leon Rose agreed to a significant trade before Thursday’s 3 p.m. deadline, acquiring the 6-foot-5 wing from the Trail Blazers in exchange for disfavored Cam Reddish and a lottery protected first-round draft pick in 2023, ESPN reported Wednesday night.
Little-used forward Svi Mykhailiuk and guard Ryan Arcidiacono also are headed to Portland in the deal, while the lottery-protected pick in 2023 will turn into four future second-round picks if it doesn’t convey this year, the ESPN report stated.
The 27-year-old Hart is a versatile and dependable two-way player averaging 9.5 points and 8.2 rebounds in 51 games (all starts) this season for Portland, although he is shooting a career-low 30.4 percent from 3-point range.
Brunson, whose number was retired Wednesday night at Villanova ahead of the Knicks game Friday in Philadelphia, and Hart were teammates for two seasons with the Wildcats, winning one championship together in 2016. A video posted on Twitter by Nova Hoops showed Brunson excitedly raising his arms in the air when he learned of Hart’s acquisition.
Rose is the former agent of both Hart and Brunson, but Hart now is represented by Aaron Mintz, who also reps Julius Randle. Brunson is repped by Sam Rose, Leon’s son.
Hart is earning $12.96 million this season and controls a player option for the same amount for 2023-24. Reddish is making $5.96 million and Arcidiacono $2.13 million on expiring contracts, while Mykhailiuk is making $1.97 million after his contract was guaranteed for the remainder of the season last month.
Reddish, who was acquired from Atlanta last season in exchange for Kevin Knox and a first-round pick, hadn’t appeared in a game for the Knicks since Dec. 3.
Hart’s addition means that Tom Thibodeau either will have to expand his rotation to 10 players or subtract someone from his existing nine-man group, barring another deal.
Thibodeau had indicated after Tuesday’s win over the Magic in Orlando that he’d be OK if Rose didn’t greatly shake up the current roster ahead of Thursday’s deadline.
“We love our team,” Thibodeau said after the Knicks improved their record 30-26. “If something were to happen, it would have to be something he felt very strongly about that would improve the club. But we also know we have a really good roster that we like. We have a lot of good young players that we know are gonna get better as time goes on.“So, listen, I have been around a long time, and for every 100 trades they talk about, one gets done. So just keep focused. Don’t get distracted. It’s just noise, but the good thing is that I think the popularity of our league, it creates a buzz. Everyone’s looking at it, but you can’t lose sight of what’s important to us, which is getting ready for the next game.”
The Knicks had been linked to potentially helpful wing players besides Hart, including Toronto’s OG Anunoby, Detroit’s Saddiq Bey and Utah’s Malik Beasley, who was sent to the Lakers earlier Wednesday in a three-team trade.
The league’s playoff setup — with the seventh- through 10th-place teams in each conference playing a play-in tournament for the final two postseason seeds — has kept more teams involved and possibly less inclined to sell off desirable players.
Entering Wednesday’s league action, only four of the league’s 30 teams — the Hornets and the Pistons in the East and the Spurs and the Rockets in the West — were more than three games outside the No. 10 spots in their respective conferences.
“As professionals our job is to show every day and play basketball and let the front office deal with all those situations,” Brunson said after Tuesday’s win. “But I love my teammates, getting to know these guys, they’ve been welcoming, for the guys that we’re here before me. The relationships made these past couple of months have been special, so I love these guys.”
After Hart had 10 points and 19 rebounds in an overtime win over the Knicks in November, Thibodeau said, “That’s what he does. He’s probably the best rebounding guard in the league. So, when the ball goes up, if you stand and stare, that’s gonna be a problem. If you turn and check, then there’s gotta be a physicality to it. He’s got a great nose for the ball. He anticipates well. He’s strong. We knew that would be a challenge.”