Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Scotto: Two general managers told me they think the Knicks have to offer Hartenstein the full four years, $72 million available, and they think New York can’t lose him in free agency. He’s become too valuable to the Knicks.
I asked them for a scouting report on Hartenstein. They said Hartenstein is a good ball mover and screener who can hit a floater in the paint and plays with verticality. The limiting factors they pointed out about him are his health at times and his size as a paint protector versus as a rim protector, and they said if Hartenstein got the full four years, $72 million, they didn’t know how moveable his contract would be after he signs it.
There’s a lot of intrigue around the OKC Thunder and Hartenstein, but I’ve heard OKC would look at doing short-term deals, most likely in free agency, if they’re going to make a move. The Knicks would have an advantage theoretically of going further down the line with that (offering more years).
Bondy: If I were a betting man, I’d say he (Hartenstein) comes back. However, I’m not as confident saying that as OG Anunoby coming back. I reported about OKC’s interest, and I heard something similar to what you said about a short-term deal. There’s speculation OKC would offer him something in the realm of two years, $50 million with an opt-out in the second year, which is something like Bruce Brown got.
I don’t know where Isaiah’s head is at. How much does he want to go for the long-term, four-year, $72 million, and the security that comes with that? Or would he go for a short-term deal? I know there’s going to be competition for him. I know he’s going to get paid this summer, whether it’s from the Knicks or somebody else.
Begley: The one thing I’d say is I think Isaiah was on the record saying he would’ve gone back to the Clippers for less money. To me, if he feels comfortable in a situation and values that – and we all know how comfortable he felt here in New York on and off the court – I think if there’s a $25 million a year offer and there’s an opt-out versus a four-year deal with the Knicks and maybe an option on the end of that, I think the stability would be one of the deciding factors for Isaiah. I think he ends up back here because of everything we discussed.
Bondy: There are a lot of teams with cap space and not a lot of free agents to spend it on, so I think that helps Isaiah from a negotiating standpoint.
Scotto: The expectation is that Nic Claxton is going to go back to the Brooklyn Nets. That’s the expectation many have around the league, so that takes one center off the market. Jonas Valanciunas isn’t expected back in New Orleans.
I posed the question of whether Isaiah would prefer a long or short-term deal to executives around the league, and their feeling was that given his career to this point and coming off a career season now, they felt he’d take the long-term security wherever it came from.
Regarding OKC, they’re at their best when Chet Holmgren plays center, and they play five out. They recognize that they need to beef up their interior and get more strength in their frontcourt. I could also see them spending cheaper on a center than what Isaiah would cost.
