Jalen Brunson Expects Josh Hart to be “Professional” Despite Not Getting Contract Extension With Knicks

Jalen Brunson sent a stern directive to Josh Hart and his Knicks teammates over paused contract negotiations.

Jalen Brunson Expects Josh Hart to be “Professional” Despite Not Getting Contract Extension With Knicks

Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart (Image credits - Bleacher Report)

Josh Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns, Miles McBride, and Tyler Kolek are all in line for contract extensions with the New York Knicks. There have been a lot of talks with the players mentioned during the summer, but no deals were confirmed in the end.

The Knicks, led by Jalen Brunson, are coming off a historic NBA championship. While it may have been their third overall title, it was their most memorable, coming after 53 years.

One of the main reasons for the delayed contract negotiations is that Knicks owner James Dolan does not want to go over the second apron. With no agreements in the summer, the Knicks decided to put contract extension talks on hold until later in the season to avoid off-court distractions.

Brunson backed the team’s approach at a press conference and sent a clear message to Hart and his teammates to stay focused on basketball.

He’s going to be a professional. Not just him, everybody. Everyone’s going to be professional and continue to do their jobs. No matter what the situation is, things are going to happen. There’s always going to be a rollercoaster of a season. But no matter what, when we’re out there on the court, we’re all going to have each other’s back regardless.

Jalen Brunson in his press conference

The Knicks parted ways with Mitchell Robinson in the offseason because they couldn’t offer him an extension. Similarly, many expect Miles McBride to be on his way out as well after stalled negotiations.

However, Jalen Brunson expects his teammates to be professional when the 2026-27 campaign gets underway in a little over a week. The Knicks guard and his teammates have been through a lot of obstacles together, and now he wants his teammates to treat this as another roadblock to overcome.

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Josh Hart is not frustrated about his contract situation dragging into the season

Hart joined the Knicks at the trade deadline in 2023 and has been an important player for them since. He was one of their key players during their championship run this year.

Josh Hart
Josh Hart (Image credits – NBC Sports)

Josh Hart would have hoped to get a contract extension before the 2026-27 campaign got underway. Unfortunately, things did not pan out as he had hoped.

However, the Knicks forward is in good spirits and insisted all was still well when speaking to the media.

At the end of the day, I’m still under contract in New York. We have a hell of a team that’s going to try to repeat. I’m in an amazing situation off the court. It’s not frustrating.

Josh Hart in his press conference

Hart is eligible for a four-year, $132 million contract extension, but he’ll likely settle for less as the organization looks to stay under the second apron. He has two more years left in his current contract with the Knicks, having a $22.3 million team option for the 2027-28 campaign. However, Hart already seems to be imbibing Brunson’s approach.

Jalen Brunson on the potential distractions after the Knicks suspended contract negotiations

Brunson will be eligible for an extension next summer and is expected to be well paid for his exploits last season. The 30-year-old surprised the NBA world when he took a hefty pay cut in 2024.

Many questioned Brunson’s decision, but it worked out well in the end, as the Knicks became much more flexible with their finances while building their current roster. The three-time All-Star is likely to receive a four-year, $290 million contract extension. 

Following the Knicks’ announcement to suspend all contract negotiations, Brunson weighed in on the importance of avoiding potential distractions.

There’s only potential distractions when you read and believe what people are saying. It’s on us as teammates and individuals and professionals to understand what the nature of it is. People are gonna talk about it. So we gotta control what we can control and do our jobs. I think the way we won was just because of how connected we were as a group, so we gotta keep that.

Jalen Brunson in his press conference

The Knicks’ 2026-27 campaign gets underway on October 20 when they face the Philadelphia 76ers on Opening Night. The expectations are high after their historic run last season, and they will be looking to become the first team to defend the championship since the Golden State Warriors in 2018.

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