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Keith Smith: With Isaiah Hartenstein back in the fold, the Thunder now project to be: 🏀$10.2M over the tax 🏀$2.2M over the first apron 🏀$10.8M under the second apron This is without Lu Dort or Kenrich Williams but does count both first-round draft picks.
Keith Smith: Looks like about $75M in new money over three years for Isaiah Hartenstein. Structure will be interesting with a “mutual option” on the final season. Very fair value and a win for OKC to bring Hartenstein back.
Shams Charania: Just in: Oklahoma City's Isaiah Hartenstein intends to sign a new three-year contract to return to the Thunder through 2028-29 that brings his total earnings with the franchise at five years and $134 million guaranteed, sources tell ESPN. A key signing in 2024 leading to the 2025 championship, Thunder lock in the defensive anchor.
Shams Charania: Hartenstein and his reps, Andrew Morrison and Aaron Mintz of CAA Sports, worked with the Thunder on an agreement that brings $75 million in new money over the next three years -- plus a maximum 15% trade kicker and a unique mutual option that allows both parties to rework the agreement again in 2028 prior to the final season.
Yossi Gozlan: Isaiah Hartenstein getting a mutual option likely means the third year is a player option with a partial guarantee, like James Harden’s current contract. The ~$3M in payroll savings reduces the Thunder’s tax penalty by $21M and leaves them about $15M above the second apron.
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NBA Courtside: Jay Willams says OKC and the Spurs won the draft: “They continue to put their chokehold on the NBA. What did we talk about a lot with OKC? How did Chet Holmgren play in the NBA finals? What’s going on with Isaiah Hartenstein when he had go against Wemby? That got a guy named Aday Mara who has a 7’4 wingspan, super talented can give you depth off the bench and give you an extra body to go against Wemby. How about for San Antonio for Wembanyama we talked a lot about who’s the enforcer when Kornet played in that series, now you bring a guy that brings a lot of physicality played for Dan Hurley at UConn a absolute beast on the glass.”
Brandon Rahbar: Thunder are absolutely huge. Mara 7'3 Chet 7'1 Hartenstein 7'0 Sorber 7'6 wingspan
KeithSmithNBA: The Oklahoma City Thunder will be ~$3.7M under the luxury tax, if they decline the team options for Lu Dort, Isaiah Hartenstein and Kenrich Williams. Thunder will be ~$11.7M under the first apron and ~$24.7M under the second apron before re-signing Dort, Hartenstein or Williams.
Starting center Isaiah Hartenstein has a $28.5 million team option for the upcoming season. He’s expected to remain in Oklahoma City. The question among executives around the league is whether the Thunder will exercise their team option or decline it and work out a new multi-year deal at a lower average annual salary.
Tim Bontemps: "Isaiah Hartenstein has this $28.5 million team option and I would say of those three guys, he is the most likely guy to be back. However, I would guess that what will end up happening there is he will sign a longer-term deal for a lower number because the Thunder have some ability to handle those negotiations with that team option and get Hartenstein some longer-term money and also lower their bill for this upcoming season."
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Rylan Styles: Sam Presti on the team options to Isaiah Hartenstein, Luguentz Dort, Kenrich Williams “The first thing is like I said I gotta talk to everybody. Got to get a sense of where everybody is…Is it possible that we just pick up the options for everybody and roll into next season? That’s certainly possible. I certainly wouldn’t rule that out because we haven’t gotten through those conversations…The process itself could take a little while because I want to understand what all is available to me.” Said “If we feel that it’s more beneficial to the organization to have the draft rights to those players irrespective of if they’re going to be on the team..” said it may not fit into a box
The Oklahoma City Thunder certainly face some difficult roster decisions over the next few weeks as they weigh the team options they hold for Hartenstein, Dort and Williams, but sources insist that trading Chet Holmgren is not part of the plan. As one close observer to the playoff exit of last season's champions put it to The Stein Line: "He's the best defensive player in the league ... aside from one."
A similar trajectory appears possible this summer for the Knicks' Mitchell Robinson. Hartenstein's heir to the backup center spot in Gotham is expected to draw significant free agent interest this summer, league sources say. Robinson only logged 14 minutes in New York's Game 2 victory, but he drew considerable postgame praise from Knicks coach Mike Brown and teammate Karl-Anthony Towns for his one-on-one defense against Wembanyama.
Draymond Green: "How about this guy need to go back and get in the lab and get better and go work on his game because this guy just exposed all your weaknesses and showed everything that you need to get better at. What about the criticism of he need to get back in the lab this summer and be motivated and get better? Why is it we need to trade him? Like these takes they they just seem to get a little lazy at times to me, like trade him, why is all of a sudden everything always about the trade? Up, trade this guy, trade that guy, trade like, what? I just don't understand it. So, no, I don't expect Chet Holmgren to be traded. They will have to make some moves because I also don't foresee OKC paying $250 million in salary and taxes next year and going into the second apron. I don't see that either. So they will have to make some decisions, maybe Lu Dort, maybe Hartenstein, maybe trade Joe, maybe trade Wiggins. Like they're going to have to make some tough decisions for sure. Maybe they trade them picks because if they if they sign their 12th and 17th pick and they keep those and draft those players, it's going to cost them in the first year those salaries $80 million over the course of those two players. So maybe they do some of that stuff, but the whole trade Chet Holmgren is blasphemous, what he did this year."
