The Oklahoma City Thunder are hoping they have just obtained the missing link to a championship team after securing a commitment from center Isaiah Hartenstein for a three-year, $87 million contract, per Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic.
The New York Knicks wanted to bring back the stalwart big man, but OKC had been the logical landing spot due to the ample cap space it has at its disposal. General manager Sam Presti is sending a clear message to the NBA world that his squad is intent on winning the championship next season.
In what is still an unrelenting Western Conference, the Thunder possess arguably the deepest roster in the land. Hartenstein, who came into his own last season while filling in for the injured Mitchell Robinson , joins a scary group led by All-NBA talent Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and potential All-Stars Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren.
The deal is far more lucrative than a player of Hartensteins's mold typically commands, but his importance to this specific team makes it tough to evaluate the move on monetary value alone. A physical inside presence was considered to be OKC's one glaring weakness, as was evident in the playoffs versus the Dallas Mavericks.
The Thunder ranked 29th with 8.2 offensive rebounds per contest and finished 27th in total boards. Therefore, adding Hartenstein could theoretically be the impetus to the franchise' first championship banner.
That is not a sentence that most people would have uttered only a year or two ago. And it is one that Knicks fans desperately hope is not true.
Isaiah Hartenstein can do all the dirty work for the Thunder
Despite boasting an abundance of potential, the 2017 second-round pick took some time to establish a name for himself in the NBA. He provided both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Clippers with solid production but became a bona fide fan favorite in New York.
Isaiah Hartenstein typified the intangibles that represented some of the best Knicks teams of all-time, playing with a level of passion, guts and savvy that deeply resonated with the frenetic fandom. He averaged 7.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 25.3 minutes per game in 2023-24, but his value goes beyond the box score.
The 26-year-old German injected the Knickerbockers and their fans with a needed shot of energy and now looks to help lift the Thunder over the top of a crowded pack. Much like he did before signing with New York, Hartenstein knows what is going to be asked of him in Oklahoma City.
While Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and Holmgren handle more of the glamorous on-court duties, he is going to do the heavy lifting in the low post on defense and on the glass. His presence will ideally limit the effectiveness of Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II or any other Western Conference center going forward. What that means is, barring injury, it is NBA Finals or bust for OKC.
That statement is not made lightly. Mark Daigneault's group will have to run the gauntlet in the playoffs and survive a slew of future Hall of Famers, but they have the tools to get the job done.
The combination of last year's postseason experience, their core's continued growth and the arrival of Isaiah Hartenstein has the Thunder positioned for what could actually be the greatest era in franchise history. Fans will be smiling all the way to opening tip-off.
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