Pelicans Named Landing Spot for Knicks Center

New York Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein could garner interest from the New Orleans Pelicans.

Jeremy Brener | May 31, 2024

Oct 28, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New York Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) passes around New Orleans Pelicans forward Larry Nance Jr. (22) during the first quarter at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Dobbins-USA TODAY Sports / Matthew Dobbins-USA TODAY Sports

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New York Knicks

New York Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein wants to stay in the Big Apple, but he should have interest around the league in signing him this summer.

Hartenstein, 26, is one of the most coveted free agents in the league, and any team needing a center should look into his availability.

Bleacher Report suggests that Hartenstein should be a target for the New Orleans Pelicans in free agency.

"New Orleans can offer a competitive salary using its $12.9 million non-taxpayer MLE. A three-year deal would net Hartenstein more than $40 million, or nearly twice his career earnings to this point," Bleacher Report writes. "The Knicks should want to keep Hartenstein, but re-signing OG Anunoby will be their first priority, and his contract won't be cheap. The Pels should at least try to land Hartenstein as their new franchise center."

Hartenstein averaged 7.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game this season, arguably the best campaign he's had so far in his six-year career.

Hartenstein will likely give the Knicks a chance to give an offer that's competitive, or even take a slight hometown discount. However, this is going to be Hartenstein's biggest contract to date, and it will be difficult to turn down anything that will give him more money than what he's made throughout his entire career.

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Published May 31, 2024

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.