The New York Knicks have fielded what should be their most talented, competitive team in years, but it's hard not to notice who isn't on the roster.
Just one month from training camp, Isaiah Hartenstein's free agency departure still seems to be hanging over the Knicks.
The 26-year-old center had a breakout season with the Knicks and turned out to be a perfect fit on both ends of the floor. He was an elite rim protector and rebounder, and his passing and floater gave the Knicks offense another outlet when defenses trapped Jalen Brunson.
Hartenstein, of course, left the Knicks to sign a three-year, $89 million deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Because of Bird Rights rules, the most the Knicks could offer was four years, $72 million. Hartenstein took the bigger offer to play for a championship contender.
While the Knicks made other exciting moves, namely trading for Mikal Bridges to add another scorer, ball-handler, and elite 3-and-D wing to the roster, Hartenstein's absence, for now, seems to loom large.
After all, in a podcast released last week, Brunson and Josh Hart were still bemoaning losing Hartenstein, with Brunson calling the Bird Rights rules that cost the Knicks their starting center, "the dumbest thing ever."
Hartenstein revealed this offseason that Brunson had tried to convince him to stay — and said he would have if not for the financial difference to play for (likely) a better team in Oklahoma City.
In an ESPN poll of NBA executives, coaches, and scouts on the offseason, the Knicks received votes for having both the best and the worst offseason — a nod to losing Hartenstein, paying a high price for Bridges, and giving a massive contract to OG Anunoby.
One Eastern Conference scout told ESPN's Tim Bontemps of the Knicks: "I'm not convinced they'll be better."
On ESPN's "The Hoop Collective" podcast, Tim MacMahon made a similar point.
"As much as the Knicks had a great summer — it's understandable why they lost Hartenstein; it wasn't in their control — but they did lose a key rotation player," MacMahon said.
ESPN's Brian Windhorst replied that he views the Knicks' trade for Bridges, loss of Hartenstein, and team-friendly extension for Brunson as one big transaction to be analyzed.
Hartenstein's departure seems to also weigh heavily on fans' minds. On The Athletic's Fred Katz's podcast, "Katz and Shoot," one fan emailed Katz to ask if the addition of Bridges was enough to make up for the loss of Hartenstein — i.e. will the Knicks actually be markedly better swapping one good player for another. (Katz said yes, but noted the Knicks will sorely miss Hartenstein at certain points this season).
Indeed, center is the big question mark for the Knicks. Mitchell Robinson reassumes the starting role in Hartenstein's absence. While Robinson offers similar (or even better) rim protection and rebounding, he doesn't have Hartenstein's ball skills on offense. Robinson is also injury-prone, having played just 31 games in two of the past four seasons.
Behind Robinson is Precious Achiuwa, a young, still-raw, slightly undersized center, and the unproven Jericho Sims. If Robinson were to miss significant time this season, the Knicks would be facing a minor emergency at center.
The Knicks can explore adding another center during the season, but they are limited in the moves they can make, as they have few draft assets or contracts to include in a trade.
Perhaps the only upside of Hartenstein's departure is that it may force Tom Thibodeau to explore small-ball lineups with Julius Randle and Anunoby as the two "big men." This would allow the Knicks to play more of their wings at the same time (some combination of Brunson, Bridges, Hart, and Donte DiVincenzo), which would play to their strengths.
There is a world where the Knicks improve their win total and advance further in the playoffs, which would make people quickly forget about Hartenstein. But for now, there seems to be widespread uneasiness about the Knicks losing such a vital piece to last year's team.
