This offseason, the New York Knicks front office has made it a point of emphasis to keep their core unit that brought them a championship this summer together. The Knicks brought back key role players Jose Alvarado, Jordan Clarkson and Landry Shamet, and now there is one more piece who could be seeing a payday soon. 

Josh Hart is eligible for a contract extension that is worth $132 million for four years. This season, he's entering the final guaranteed year of his deal where he will make $20.9 million, and will have a team option worth $22.4 million for the 2027-2028 season. 

There was a report that came out about the Knicks potentially wanting to pay Hart less than the $132 million deal, saying he could take a contract worth $60-62 million over three years. Hart responded to the rumor saying, "Darn I was hoping for that 132! I'll take 131 instead."

Hart seems to have shut down rumors that him and New York's front office may not be on the same page, and he could see a big extension very soon. Whether or not he gets the maximum extension is still uncertain, but Hart is a vital piece to the Knicks, and a Knicks team without him changes things up. 

Hart was one of the pieces on this championship Knicks team that held things together when the team hit dry spells. His Game 2 performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals truly showed his worth as he scored a playoff career-high 26 points in a win. 

In that game he had a great third quarter in which he scored 12 points and sparked a New York 18-0 run that blew the game open for them. Hart also showed up in big moments where he made clutch three-point shots, rebounds and defensive plays. 

His energy on the court was hard for opponents to match and the Knicks will want to keep him around as long as their championship window is still open. Hart has meant a lot to the franchise since he was traded there and he has elite chemistry with his college teammates Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges. 

Hart has also built a strong connection to the Knicks fanbase because of his rugged play style and it's almost as if he embodies Knicks basketball. Losing him would do more bad than good for the franchise and it will be interesting to see what his contract extension numbers will look like.