The New York Knicks have made the move of the NBA offseason so far. They made major headlines throughout the association with acquiring Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets. It was a great move by the Knicks, but one that also comes with some pitfalls. They surrendered a lot of draft capital, and their cap sheet will become exorbitant in the future. It could lead to the Knicks losing Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency to a team like the Oklahoma City Thunder or Utah Jazz.
It was already going to be a challenge for the Knicks to retain Hartenstein. The max they can offer him with their early bird rights is about $72 million over four years. The issue for New York is that not only can he make more than that on the open market, but they now have a lot of money tied to them. They already have $132 million committed to next season and that is without re-signing Hartenstein or OG Anunoby.
With the Knicks having bird rights on Anunoby as well as Mitchell Robinson under contract, they may have to let Hartenstein go to stay below the second apron. If they do, Hartenstein will have no shortage of suitors after his breakout run in the playoffs. The Thunder and Jazz would really be great spots for him.
The Thunder add some size
Oklahoma City's lack of size and bulk in the frontcourt was glaring in the playoffs. Though the swept the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round, the Thunder did get bullied early and often by Jonas Valanciunas. Chet Holmgren was not big enough to neutralize him in the block. In the next round, the Thunder got battered on the glass by the Dallas Mavericks. It was possibly the turning point of that series.
That disadvantage would go away with the acquisition of Hartenstein, who posted a defensive rebound percentage of 20.1% and a total rebound percentage of 16.5% in the regular season. No Thunder player who played more than 15 games had a total rebound percentage above 14%.
The Thunder have the cap space to give Hartenstein a big offer in free agency, too. They have roughly $33 million to work with and don't have much time to use it in free agency. Alex Caruso, who Oklahoma City just acquired from the Chicago Bulls, is poised to become a free agent next year. Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren will be due for an extension by then too.
This would be a great move for the Thunder. Not only do they need Hartenstein, but they have the means to add him to their team without giving up a part of their young core. The Knicks should be on high alert regarding this potential scenario.
Another big man for the Jazz
Another exciting young team with the cap space to sign Hartenstein is the Utah Jazz.
Utah also has about $30 million to work with and could use a center. It looked like Walker Kessler could become the new big of the future in Utah after Gobert's departure, but it's more than possible that he could be on the move according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports.
If the Jazz have soured on Kessler enough to trade him, they'd have a big need at the center spot. John Collins and Taylor Hendricks would be really the only two players on their roster capable of anchoring a defense, but both are a bit too small to play center. A big who can help their defense that ranked dead last in the NBA last season would be a big boon for them.
Hartenstein fits that bill to a tee. He was outstanding anchoring the Knicks' defense in the playoffs and can act as a hub for Utah's offense that heavily emphasizes ball and player movement. Hartenstein be a great target for the Jazz with their cap space.
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