Isaiah Hartenstein Rumors

Tim Bontemps: "Isaiah Hartenstein has this $28.5 million team option and I would say of those three guys, he is the most likely guy to be back. However, I would guess that what will end up happening there is he will sign a longer-term deal for a lower number because the Thunder have some ability to handle those negotiations with that team option and get Hartenstein some longer-term money and also lower their bill for this upcoming season."

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Rylan Styles: Sam Presti on the team options to Isaiah Hartenstein, Luguentz Dort, Kenrich Williams “The first thing is like I said I gotta talk to everybody. Got to get a sense of where everybody is…Is it possible that we just pick up the options for everybody and roll into next season? That’s certainly possible. I certainly wouldn’t rule that out because we haven’t gotten through those conversations…The process itself could take a little while because I want to understand what all is available to me.” Said “If we feel that it’s more beneficial to the organization to have the draft rights to those players irrespective of if they’re going to be on the team..” said it may not fit into a box

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The Oklahoma City Thunder certainly face some difficult roster decisions over the next few weeks as they weigh the team options they hold for Hartenstein, Dort and Williams, but sources insist that trading Chet Holmgren is not part of the plan. As one close observer to the playoff exit of last season's champions put it to The Stein Line: "He's the best defensive player in the league ... aside from one."

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A similar trajectory appears possible this summer for the Knicks' Mitchell Robinson. Hartenstein's heir to the backup center spot in Gotham is expected to draw significant free agent interest this summer, league sources say. Robinson only logged 14 minutes in New York's Game 2 victory, but he drew considerable postgame praise from Knicks coach Mike Brown and teammate Karl-Anthony Towns for his one-on-one defense against Wembanyama.

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Draymond Green: "How about this guy need to go back and get in the lab and get better and go work on his game because this guy just exposed all your weaknesses and showed everything that you need to get better at. What about the criticism of he need to get back in the lab this summer and be motivated and get better? Why is it we need to trade him? Like these takes they they just seem to get a little lazy at times to me, like trade him, why is all of a sudden everything always about the trade? Up, trade this guy, trade that guy, trade like, what? I just don't understand it. So, no, I don't expect Chet Holmgren to be traded. They will have to make some moves because I also don't foresee OKC paying $250 million in salary and taxes next year and going into the second apron. I don't see that either. So they will have to make some decisions, maybe Lu Dort, maybe Hartenstein, maybe trade Joe, maybe trade Wiggins. Like they're going to have to make some tough decisions for sure. Maybe they trade them picks because if they if they sign their 12th and 17th pick and they keep those and draft those players, it's going to cost them in the first year those salaries $80 million over the course of those two players. So maybe they do some of that stuff, but the whole trade Chet Holmgren is blasphemous, what he did this year."

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Defensively, should the Knicks put OG Anunoby on Wemby? Coach 1: “Yes, I like that a lot. But one thing interesting with that is where do you put Towns? And I think the simple thing would be to put him on [Julian] Champagnie. But the Knicks don’t like to crossmatch that much. Good, bad or indifferent, they like to let Towns play through normal pick-and-roll coverages. I don’t know if he’s in shape enough to expend himself like what [Isaiah] Hartenstein was just doing with the Thunder — where he was bodying up Victor and also having to guard the pick-and-rolls and navigate screens and stuff like that. Karl has to be really disciplined if he’s guarding Champagnie. If you watch him to start these games, Champagnie gets crossmatched in transition quite a bit and gets wide-open 3s. And he’s a plus-40 percent 3-point shooter. You got to make sure you’re disciplined. I think they would probably put Brunson on [Devin] Vassell, and then [Mikal] Bridges and Hart on [De’Aaron] Fox and [Stephon] Castle.”

New York Post

Bobby Marks: "I love when people say, well, they're just going to decline Isaiah Hartenstein and he's going to become a free agent. I will bet anybody a dinner or a donation to your charity that Isaiah Hartenstein will be a free agent and playing elsewhere next year. If his option is declined, that means they have an agreement in place that he will be back on probably a longer contract and at less money."

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Caruso, entering the second season of a four-year, $81 million extension, is considered a firm member of the long-term core, league sources said, proving again his extreme playoff value the past month in the locker room and on the court. Hartenstein and Dort also remained beloved organizationally, but their team options demand a more urgent decision -- opt them into an expiring, opt them out, trade the number at a positive market value or work out a decline-and-extend at a lower starting number.

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There is a strong anticipation among team and league sources that Hartenstein will be back in Oklahoma City next season, whether the Thunder choose to pick up his team option or the sides agree to an extension. With Wembanyama and the Spurs looming as a long-term rival, it would be a significant step in the wrong direction for the Thunder to thin out their big man depth, especially after Hartenstein had some success defending Wembanyama during the West finals.

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Run It Back: Lou Williams says the Thunder shouldn't give up on Chet Holmgren. "Lu Dort will be the adjustment." Chandler Parsons: "Good news for OKC is Hartenstein & Dort are their only free agents. Bad news is Harrison Barnes is the only FA on the Spurs."

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Justin Martinez: Isaiah Hartenstein on his former team, New York, competing in the NBA Finals: "Happy for them. ... I'd rather be playing against them, but I'm just rooting for them right now. There's a lot of guys I know. There's a lot of guys I'm pretty close with. So just happy for them."

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Joel Lorenzi: Isaiah Hartenstein, who has a team option incoming: “I love being here, I love the organization, but a lot of it's in their hands. It's a business at the end of the day, but again, just whatever happens, (I’m) truly grateful.”

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Joel Lorenzi: Isaiah Hartenstein notes that this Thunder roster once represented an underdog story — with Lu Dort being undrafted, Hartenstein spending time in the G League, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander being traded — but says “it’s a little different now, I guess.” What does he mean? “I mean it’s…next question?”

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“The whole league now is trying to beat (OKC). That means they’re building their teams that way,” Kerr said. “San Antonio, they got young talent, they got Wemby, and they have really good and strong defensive guards. It was like, ‘Oh, s—.’ All of a sudden, they got a rival. I don’t know who the next young team who’s going to be doing that is, but you better believe when all these teams are building their rosters, they got the Thunder in mind, because they know for the next six, eight years, the Thunder are going to be at the top of the heap.” Now the Thunder will move with the Spurs — who boast a core trio aged 22 and younger — in mind. OKC’s summer comes with decisions. Holmgren and Jalen Williams’ extensions activate next season. With the second apron looming — the Thunder currently projected to be about $39 million above that mark next season — they hold team options on Isaiah Hartenstein ($28.5 million) and Lu Dort ($18.2 million).

New York Times