
Thunder could seriously complicate Knicks’ Isaiah Hartenstein plans
NY Post
DALLAS — The competition for Isaiah Hartenstein could very well include a team with a dangerous trio — cap space, legitimate title aspirations and need for a center.
The Thunder is viewed by NBA sources as the top threat to pry Hartenstein away from the Knicks in free agency.
After finishing atop the Western Conference with 57 wins in the regular season, Oklahoma City can make a stronger bid for Hartenstein than the Knicks, who are capped out but can offer a starting salary of roughly $17 million using their Early Bird Rights.
The Thunder has roughly $35 million in cap space and a glut of draft assets to build on its surprising success last season.
The roster could also use a hard-nosed center like Hartenstein, who broke out with a career season after replacing the injured Mitchell Robinson in Tom Thibodeau’s starting lineup.
“It’s real,” an NBA source said of OKC’s interest in Hartenstein.

Suddenly, someone had hit a rewind button and everyone had been transported back seven months. It was early spring instead of late fall, it was broiling hot outside the arena walls and not freezing cold. Everyone was back at TD Garden. There were 19,156 frenzied fans on their feet begging for blood, poised for the kill.












