Isaiah Hartenstein Signs With Oklahoma City Thunder In Free Agency

Former New York Knick Isaiah Hartenstein signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder at the start of free agency. The center signed for three years, $87 million, as the Thunder look to build around their young core, which reached the second round of the NBA playoffs and earned the #1 overall seed in the Western Conference before losing to the Dallas Mavericks.

Hartenstein found a home in New York after playing for four teams in four seasons to begin his career, including the Cleveland Cavaliers and Houston Rockets. The Knicks signed him on a modest two-way deal where he averaged 20 minutes a night and five points a game in his first season with the team. In 2023-24, he exploded after the injury to starting center Mitchell Robinson. Hartenstein played over 25 minutes a game and averaged over a steal and block per game as he became the defensive anchor to a top-five unit in the NBA. He started all 13 Knick playoff games, leading his team to game seven of the second round, but the wheels came off, and New York fell at home.

He joins an up-and-coming Thunder team and will be tasked with insulating center Chet Holmgren from punishment and the wear and tear of the NBA. Holmgren sat out his first season in the NBA but played all 82 games this year, averaging 16.5 points and 7.9 rebounds. Oklahoma City believes that the Holmgren, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander partnership can produce championships, and Hartenstein could be a missing piece.

Born in the United States, Hartenstein moved to Germany when he was young and began his professional career as a teenager in Europe, playing for teams in Germany and Lithuania. The big man entered the NBA draft in 2018 and went to the Houston Rockets with pick #43 in the second round. He spent most of his first season in the G-League as he adjusted to the American game.