It’s a Villanova reunion.
As Jalen Brunson was getting his jersey retired at his alma mater, the Knicks negotiated a trade for his former Wildcats teammate, Josh Hart, by sending Cam Reddish and a first-round pick to the Blazers, a source confirmed.
Hart, 27, is a hard-nosed wing and represents, at the very least, a rotational upgrade for the Knicks as they push for the playoffs. He’s an elite rebounder for his size at 6-7 and should also boost the Knicks’ struggling perimeter defense. Hart could become a free agent in the summer by rejecting a $13 million player option for next season, meaning the Knicks may have to commit more money to avoid this being a rental.
Hart is represented by CAA, the agency that once employed Knicks president Leon Rose and and now has five current Knicks players as clients. Hart averaged 9.5 points and an impressive 8.2 rebounds in 51 games this season for the Blazers. However, his 3-point shooting has dipped to a career-low 30.4%
The first-round draft pick included by the Knicks in the deal is protected, according to ESPN. The Knicks also traded Ryan Arcidiacono and Svi Mykhailiuk — two players at the end of the bench — to match salaries with Portland. Arcidiacono, coincidentally, was also a Villanova teammate of Brunson and Hart.
Reddish was out of Tom Thibodeau’s rotation and carried little value in the trade market, necessitating the sweetener to complete the trade. It was an indictment on the trade a year prior for Reddish, a former lottery pick who was acquired by the Knicks for a first-round pick.
In other words, in a span of two years and in a roundabout way, the Knicks got Hart for two first-round draft picks. Trading Reddish was almost a given since he’ll become a free agent after the season and would’ve bolted for nothing. The 23-year-old showed flashes of potential while in the rotation early in the season, but was benched after a dreadful performance over two months ago and never again played.
With the Knicks in Philadelphia ahead of Friday’s game against the Sixers, many of the players and coaching staff were at the Villanova-DePaul game to watch Brunson’s jersey retirement ceremony.
News about the trade broke at about halftime. At the same time across the country, Hart was pulled off the court during warmups before the Blazers’ game against the Warriors. Clearly, he was informed of the deal.
Hart’s jersey was also retired at Villanova. He and Brunson won a national title together in 2016.
On Tuesday, Thibodeau indicated that Knicks would have to be blown away by a deal to disrupt the status quo.
“We love our team,” Thibodeau told reporters after the Knicks toppled the Magic. “If something were to happen, it would have to be something he felt something very strong about that would improve the club. But we know we have a really good roster that we like. We know that we have a lot of good young players that will get better as time goes on.”
Now Hart will be thrown in the mix. His arrival could mean less time for the three other wings — RJ Barrett, Quentin Grimes and Immanuel Quickley.
As it stands with Mitchell Robinson injured, the Knicks have six or seven players logging heavy minutes, depending on how their center position shakes out on a nightly basis. That rotation — which includes Brunson, Julius Randle, Barrett, Grimes, Quickley, Jericho Sims and/or Isaiah Hartenstein — has gone 5-3 during one of the most difficult stretches of the schedule, with victories against the Cavs, Celtics, Heat and Sixers.
The Knicks (30-26) are just percentage points behind the Heat for the sixth spot in the East.
