Sources: Isaiah Hartenstein agrees to an 87 million dollar deal with Thunder
Center for free agents Isaiah Hartenstein, 26, has signed a 3-year agreement worth $87 million together with the Oklahoma City Thunder, sources informed ESPN.
By ESPN
July 01, 2024 at 02:18 pm
Jul 1, 2024, 10:18 AM ET
Free center Isaiah Hartenstein has signed a three-year, contract worth $87 million together with the Oklahoma City Thunder sources told ESPN. Hartenstein will leave his team the New York Knicks to join the best West player, eager to increase his size, strength and strength.
Hartenstein 26, established himself as a top center of the game this year for the Knicks in his new position for New York following Mitchell Robinson suffered an ankle injury in December.
Hartenstein was a major player in a memorable campaign for the Knicks which won 50 games and a playoff series for the second consecutive season for the only time since the year 2000. Hartenstein scored 7.8 scores and 8.3 rebounding, and played for 75 times (49 starts) and shooting 64.4 percent from the court.
Hartenstein was among the three players in the season who had at least 85 steals and 85 blocks as well as he held his players to shooting less than 53% from the edge. Alongside his elite defence, Hartenstein possesses impressive vision and playmaking abilities as a center, but the latter part of the game did not figure prominently within Tom Thibodeau’s offensive plan.
Hartenstein began his career with two seasons with his team the Houston Rockets before moving around between his current clubs, the Denver Nuggets, Cleveland Cavaliers and LA Clippers ahead of signing a contract for two years for a two-year deal with New York in the summer of 2022.
The Knicks are the only team with early Bird rights to Hartenstein The most New York could offer him was four years and $72.5 million.
The Thunder also signed extend their contracts for a long time with the key reserves Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins, league sources told ESPN.
Sources told us sources said that Wiggins was in agreement with five years, $47 million contract, while Joe was acquiescent to a 4-year agreement worth $48 million.
The Thunder decided to not exercise their team’s option regarding Joe ($2.1 million) and Wiggins ($2 million) with the goal of signing them to long-term contracts.
ESPN Stats & Information, Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon helped with this report.