New York made a big upgrade on the wing, trading for Josh Hart. What does the Knicks projected starting lineup look like now?
It was overshadowed by blockbuster trades involving Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, but the Knicks made a big move Wednesday night, acquiring Josh Hart from the Portland Trail Blazers for Cam Reddish and a protected first-round pick.
Hart is a win-now addition who brings, depth, experience, physicality and defensive intensity to the Knicks rotation. This season was averaging 9.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.1 steals in just over 33 minutes per game for Portland.
Hart has never been a great outside shooter — he’s a career 34.3 3-point shooter who had been making just 30.4 percent this season. But his defensive versatility and his skill as a connector on offense make him viable in a lot of different lineups and should add plenty of flexibility to the Knicks’ rotations.
Knicks projected starting lineup
- Guard — Jalen Brunson
- Guard — Quentin Grimes
- Forward — RJ Barrett
- Forward — Julius Randle
- Center — Mitchell Robinson
- Bench — Josh Hart, Immanuel Quickley, Obi Toppin, Isaiah Hartenstein, Jericho Sims
Hart probably won’t unseat anyone in the Knicks’ starting lineup, especially with Barrett and Randle entrenched at the forward positions. But Hart can defend guards, wings and smaller 4s and he’ll likely overlap a lot with the rest of the Knicks projected starting lineup in different permutations.
Expect to see Hart playing plenty of minutes with Jalen Brunson as well. Hart and Brunson were college teammates at Villanova and reportedly still have a strong bond from their time together.
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