Isaiah Hertenstein, a New York Knicks fan favorite for his hustle and skill in the paint, will not play in any home games at Madison Square Garden next season.
Hartenstein reportedly agreed to a three-year, $87 million contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder, who joined the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference last season in need of more size and athleticism.
In doing so, Hartenstein reportedly turned down an offer from the Knicks that didn’t exceed four years and $72.5 million. New York PostThe offer came to Hartenstein shortly after the NBA Finals ended.
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Isaiah Hertenstein (number 55) of the New York Knicks boxes out during Game 1 of the 2023 NBA Playoffs, first round, against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on April 15, 2023 in Cleveland, Ohio. (David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Thunder’s offer is reportedly upfront, meaning Hartenstein will make more than $30 million next season to play in Oklahoma City — about $5 million more than Knicks All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson is set to make next season, but he could also sign an extension of his own.
However, if Hartenstein had signed with the Knicks, he would reportedly have been paid around $16 million in the first year of the contract.
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It will be interesting to see what role Hartenstein plays for the Thunder given the presence of center Chet Holmgren on a team that is a playoff contender, but general manager Sam Presti, who previously acquired veteran Alex Caruso from the Chicago Bulls, knows his team needs rebounding, and Hartenstein’s biggest mission in New York will be to get rebounds for head coach Tom Thibodeau.
Hartenstein, a second-round pick by the Houston Rockets in the 2017 NBA Draft, averaged a career-high 8.3 rebounds per game for the Knicks last season as he was asked to play increased minutes after Mitchell Robinson missed most of the regular season with an injury.
New York Knicks players Josh Hart (#3) and Isaiah Hartenstein (#55) react during the fourth quarter against the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference second round playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 8, 2024 in New York City. (Elsa/Getty Images)
Hartenstein started 49 of 75 regular season games last season. Prior to that, his most starts in his career was eight with the Knicks in 2022-23.
He also excelled defensively, totaling 1.1 blocks and 1.2 steals per game and holding opponents to under 53 percent shooting around the rim.
Hartenstein is also a talented scorer, shooting 64.4 percent from the field last year and averaging 7.8 points per game.
Hartenstein had been in the league with the Rockets, Denver Nuggets, Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Clippers before appearing to have found a home in New York after helping the Warriors reach the Eastern Conference semifinals last season.
New York Knicks player Isaiah Hertenstein (No. 55) looks on as the Knicks face off against the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference second round playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 14, 2024 in New York City. The Knicks won 121-91. (Sarah Steer/Getty Images)
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But after years of being a journeyman, Hartenstein wasn’t about to turn down a lucrative contract to join another powerhouse team in the Midwest.
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