Knicks Center Meeting with Thunder
The New York Knicks and the rest of the NBA are now able to negotiate with free agents that aren't on their roster, and one team is looking to take advantage of that.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Oklahoma City Thunder are meeting with breakout center Isaiah Hartenstein in Eugene, Oregon to talk about potentially signing with them.
Hartenstein, 26, could sign a deal near $20 million per year, which is a price the Knicks cannot match. New York can offer a four-year, $72 million at best for Hartenstein, but it's unlikely that the team would look to even get to that level without making a move instead of that.
The Knicks have already spent a lot this offseason by trading for Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets and signing OG Anunoby to a five-year, $212.5 million deal. With those transactions taking place, the Knicks are hard-capped, and they are looking to make moves to get off that.
This doesn't mean Hartenstein is already gone, but the Knicks have to make moves if they want to retain him. Knowing that the Thunder are already meeting with Hartenstein, time is running out on the Knicks if they really want to try and make a move to bring him back.
JEREMY BRENER
Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.