The New York Knicks ultimately couldn't pay Isaiah Hartenstein what he was worth.
According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, Hartenstein is signing a three-year, $87 million contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder in free agency.
The deal is far greater than what the Knicks could offer. Because the Knicks only had Hartenstein's Early Bird Rights, they could only offer a contract that had a starting salary of $16 million, with a max of four years, $72.5 million.
Hartenstein's deal with the Thunder pays him an average of $29 million per year.
Hartenstein had a career year in 2023-24, taking over the starting role when Mitchell Robinson got injured in December and never relinquishing it (in part because Robinson was not healthy enough to take it back).
In 49 games as a starter, Hartenstein averaged 8.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 64% from the field.
Those numbers somewhat undersell his impact. Hartenstein became a formidable rim protector for the Knicks, and his ability to make plays out of the pick-and-roll and finish floaters in the paint was a huge boost to the Knicks offense when defenses trapped Jalen Brunson.
The expectation was that other teams would offer Hartenstein far more than the Knicks could.
Hartenstein's three-year deal with OKC also allows him to hit free agency again before he turns 30, in a rising salary cap environment.
