The Thunder made Isaiah Hartenstein an offer he couldn’t refuse, but the Knicks couldn’t match it.
Hartenstein, the Knicks’ popular center, signed a three-year, $87 million contract with the team, which finished as the top seed in the Western Conference last season. According to ESPN:.
The Knicks were only able to offer him $72.5 million over four years.
As the NBA free agency period began on Sunday, Hartenstein’s representatives worked through the night negotiating a contract, leading the Thunder to land their long-awaited big signing, according to ESPN.
Follow all the latest NBA free agency news, including signings, trades, rumors and more.
The Knicks will now have to find a backup center in a limited market.
Hartenstein’s contract has an average annual salary of $29 million, more than 50 percent higher than the $18.1 million he was due to make in his contract with the Knicks.
