On Saturday, July 6, a historic player entered the Paycom Center for the first time as an official member of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Former New York Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein signed the largest free agent deal in Thunder history, signing him to a three-year, $87 million contract. It was a pretty penny to give, but he was a player Oklahoma City intended to add to its forward rotation.
Leaving New York wasn’t an easy decision for Hartenstein. He loved the culture of his former team and was grateful to have earned a prominent role in head coach Tom Thibodeau’s rotation during his two seasons there. But when he was presented with the opportunity to join the former No. 1 seed in the Western Conference on a massive contract, it was hard to pass up.
“From afar,” Hartenstein began, “I’ve always seen what the culture is like, especially since they’ve been in OKC. I think the style of play really suits me. I’m a high-IQ player… (and) I think I’m one of the best passers in the NBA.”
Signing Hartenstein made perfect sense for the Thunder. The team lacked a true backup center behind Chet Holmgren who could maintain a similar defensive impact to last season, as well as a general rebounding issue. He’s exactly the type of player who can help solve those problems, and for that reason, he seems worth the unusually high offer price.
The 26-year-old has watched Oklahoma City’s culture grow on the fringes of competition for several years, as Holmgren, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, among others, have gone from outsiders to legitimate championship contenders in the span of a few seasons. Seeing that evolution so quickly created a natural excitement about potentially joining the team, which certainly played a role in his decision.
“I think every time you see them on the court, there’s always a competitiveness between them,” Hartenstein said. “They’re very excited for each other, and I think in the NBA you don’t get those kinds of situations very often where no matter who’s doing a good job, the whole team is excited for each other.”
Hartenstein is the third-oldest player on the Thunder roster, but he’ll fit right in. Even though most of the team is younger, they’ve played more like a veteran group than anything else. There’s a natural maturity that you don’t often see on other young teams, and he’s only added to that.
“Age-wise, they’re young, but I feel like their approach to the game makes them very mature,” Hartenstein said. “I take this game very seriously … so it was really exciting for me.”
Within Oklahoma City’s roster, Hartenstein is expected to play off the bench for the majority of the season. When Holmgren has left the court, he has struggled to effectively replace him, so he is expected to play primarily behind. However, lineups with both centers playing side-by-side will certainly be experimented with throughout the season, especially against bigger matchups.
Hartenstein’s defensive and rebounding strengths are already recognized, but he’ll also have an opportunity to develop his offense this year. Head coach Mark Daigneault wants him to be a proactive force on offense by putting the ball in his hands, creating plays in the post and even shooting more often, which will only add another layer to the Thunder’s system.
High expectations naturally come with a franchise-record contract. Plenty of players have come and gone over the years from Oklahoma City, so being the No. 1 is a big pedestal to stand on. There’s no doubt he’ll be a vital part of this season – and likely the next two – he just has to play to those standards.
In the era of Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and James Harden, Hartenstein loved following the Thunder while he was in Germany. It’s been a long time since then, but he found his way to that same team as the biggest free agent in its history. Quite a journey, huh?
“It’s an honor,” Hartenstein said.
Want to join the discussion? Like Thunder on SI on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter to stay up to date with all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the cover.
