Is there such a thing as too many Villanova players on the New York Knicks roster? The Knicks already have Josh Hart, Jalen Brunson, and Donte DiVincenzo, who all played big roles for New York in the 2023-24 NBA season.
New York Knicks’ Josh Hart rejects Mikal Bridges’ recruitment attempt
Not far from his college teammates who are now playing in the Big Apple, Brooklyn Nets guard-forward Mikal Bridges seemingly tried to recruit Hart when he commented “Come to the Nets?” on the Knicks shooting guard’s post on Instagram.
Hart then responded to Bridges with a hilarious joke.
“@mikalbridges are you ok? If they have you hostage just blink and we’ll save you,” Hart said.
Mikal Bridges asks if Josh Hart is joining the Nets. …Josh Hart asks if Mikal Bridges is being held hostage. pic.twitter.com/eBZ2fq239m
— Stefan Bondy (@SbondyNBA) June 10, 2024
Hart can’t just walk away from New York and be with the Nets even if he wants to. He signed a four-year extension deal worth $80.92 million with the Knicks back in 2023, so the earliest year he could become a free agent, as things stand, will be in 2027 — and that’s if New York doesn’t pick up its club option on Hart for the 2027-28 campaign.
Hart also appears to be happy with his time with the Knicks, who just made it all the way to the second round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs despite a banged-up roster. In the playoffs, Hart, who won a national title with Brunson, DiVincenzo, and Bridges in college, averaged 14.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.0 steals per game through 13 games in the 2024 postseason.
As for Bridges, his Nets were a big disappointment this season, as they won just 32 games with 50 losses and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2018.
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