Knicks Could Lose Backup Big Man to Western Conference Contender

The Isaiah Hartenstein offseason saga is underway for the New York Knicks, except they have some scary competition lurking in the background. 

Among their top priorities this offseason, one of the Knicks' key decisions will revolve around working on a new contract with their backup center. Two years after signing with the team as a free agent, Hartenstein has become a staple piece in the Knicks rotation and was a critical enforcer down the stretch of the season when Mitchell Robinson was out with injuries. 

In 75 games played this season, Hartenstein averaged 25.3 minutes per game, a number that wasn’t really reflective of the work he had to put in during the late stretch and the playoffs. He gave the Knicks 7.8 points per game on 64.4% shooting from the field and was a solid rim protector with 8.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in the same span. 

On the postseason stage, Hartenstein ratcheted his stats up and was the highest-scoring big man on the run to the Eastern Conference semifinals with 8.5 points, 7.8 boards, and 0.9 blocks per game.

With so much uncertainty surrounding Robinson, who is under contract until 2025, and his durability heading into next year, the Knicks' focus will be to hook him to a new contract and secure the versatile center for the long and bright future ahead. 

However, there is one rivaling franchise that is watching the situation and could be just as eager to snag Hartenstein from the Big Apple.

According to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post, there are basketball minds around the NBA who view the Oklahoma City Thunder as a “top threat” to lure Hartenstein away from the Knicks when free agency opens this summer.

The Thunder are reportedly a prime candidate to attract the seven-foot German due to their influx of cap space dedicated to 2024.

Oklahoma City is expected to hold over $35 million in projected cap space once the bidding opens, a much more favorable number than the Knicks who will have other needs to address besides their depth at the five spot. 

If Oklahoma City elects to get involved in the money wars, they would reportedly offer Hartenstein a short-term, two-year deal with an annual value somewhere above the roughly $17 million -- AAV the Knicks can offer given their Early Bird Rights contract restrictions.

That higher AAV could reach upwards of $20 million per year, which could be enough to entice Hartenstein to take his talents to the Midwest with a growing young core boasting depth and title aspirations. 

For how much extra money is potentially involved, the Knicks are feeling “in a good place” about their ability to retain Hartenstein on their own friendlier agreement. The eighth-year veteran spent his first five seasons with four different teams and had to earn his way into big-time minutes, one thing he has now achieved in what has become a nice home in New York.

Hartenstein’s role allowed him to meet career-high totals in several major statistics last season, including points and assists which were a testament to the dynamic type of player he brought to the court every night.

With his ability to connect on open floaters in the midrange, dish the basketball around the perimeter, and grab rebounds with the best of them, he could assume the starting center job at the start of 2024 as the Knicks yearn for durability at the position. 

The hope is that all of that, combined with the allure of being an impactful player for something special in New York, keeps Hartenstein’s presence on the Garden parquet for at least two more seasons.

If it doesn’t, the Knicks will have to pursue another big man in the upcoming draft with one of their two first-round selections, a scenario that will be tough to come by given the limited options in this year’s pool. 

If a contract is made between the two sides, it will likely come down to a two-year pact with an average salary of $17.5 million, per the league’s Early Bird regulations.

Those rules entail that Hartenstein because he only played for two seasons with the Knicks, could only receive up to 175% of his previous season’s salary, for which he earned $8 million with a cap hit of $9.24 million after extra incentives were accounted for. 

The Knicks have the financial wiggle room to make it work and continue building upon the core that has taken off over the past two seasons. The question that remains is whether Hartenstein wants to stick with it or switch home in pursuit of a bigger payday. 

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