Isaiah Hartenstein has been so good for the New York Knicks this season that he may have played himself out of New York.
The 26-year-old center began the season as a reserve but was forced into the starting lineup because of Mitchell Robinson's ankle injury in December.
Hartestein never gave it back up. As a starter this season, Hartenstein averaged 8.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game for the Knicks.
Those stats belie his impact. Hartenstein became one of the league's best rim protectors while his ferocity on the glass and ability to make plays out of the pick-and-roll buoyed the Knicks offense.
Though Robinson returned in April, Hartenstein has remained the starter (in part because Robinson needed to be eased back into the rotation). With Robinson now out for the season with an ankle injury, Hartenstein is once again left to the man in the middle for the Knicks in the postseason.
While Hartenstein struggled at times against Joel Embiid in the first round of the playoffs, he's made an impact in the Knicks' second-round series against the Indiana Pacers. Hartenstein had 14 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists, and 1 block in a Game 2 win over the Pacers on Wednesday.
The timing couldn't be better for Hartenstein— he is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and is due for a big pay day.
Hartenstein is in the final year of a two-year, $16 million contract he signed with the Knicks in 2022. That deal has proven to be a bargain and just one of many master strokes by Knicks president Leon Rose.
However, the Knicks are now in a bind. They only have Early Bird Rights on Hartenstein, which means they are limited in how big of a raise they can offer Hartenstein this summer. Meanwhile, a team with cap space could offer Hartenstein the max if they wanted to.
NBA rules state that a team can re-sign a free agent to whom they have Early Bird Rights for 175% of that player's previous salary or 120% of the average league salary. For the Knicks, that means they can offer Hartenstein, at most, somewhere around $16-17 million per season.
Will Hartenstein get a bigger offer?
In March, ESPN's NBA front office insider Bobby Marks told Stefan Bondy of The New York Post that he valued Hartenstein around $13-14 million annually on a new contract. Marks noted that centers don't often sign big contracts anymore.
According to Spotrac, there are 13 players listed as centers whose annual average salary is $19 million or higher. In a league of 30 teams, it just takes one to value Hartenstein as an above-average starting center.
Hartenstein was asked about his impending free agency by HoopsHype's Michael Scotto in April. Hartenstein said he has loved his time in New York and was focused on the playoffs rather than free agency. When asked by Scotto if he would stay with the Knicks if the money was equal between two offers, Hartenstein simply said, "Yes."
And while Hartenstein surely feels some pull to the Knicks, between having a breakout year and a thrilling playoff run, it's worth wondering just how big of an offer would lure him away. For example, if the Knicks offered Hartenstein a four-year, $64 million contract, could he accept that over, say, a four-year, $80 million offer from another team?
It's not unprecedented. Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves was in a similar situation last offseason, where the Lakers were limited in what they could offer him in free agency. Reaves re-signed with the Lakers on a four-year, $53 million contract, despite rumblings that he could get more with other teams.
The Knicks could attempt to sway Hartenstein by offering a three-year deal with a player option. Such a deal would allow Hartenstein to cash in on a raise the next two seasons, then hit free agency again in two years, when the Knicks would have his full Bird Rights. It would be an opportunity to sign two bigger contracts by the time he's 30.
It's a great situation for Hartenstein to be in. But the Knicks are likely already sweating the possibility of losing a valuable player this summer.
