On July 1, Beijing time, according to NBA Hall of Fame Woj, free agent and Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein has reached a three-year, $87 million contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
According to sources, Hartenstein's contract is decreasing year by year, and there is no guarantee for the final year. In fact, the Knicks offered Hartenstein a four-year, $72.5 million contract, which was the largest contract they could offer Hartenstein, and ultimately lost to the Thunder in the competition.
The Knicks have early bird rights to Hartenstein, and under the collective bargaining agreement, the Knicks have a hard time, and they can only give him a four-year, $72.5 million contract at most.
It is worth mentioning that Hatten is the No. 43 show of the second round of the Rockets in 2017, and when it comes to Harten, everyone will definitely think of Zhou Qi, and Chunchun is no exception, Zhou Qi is the No. 43 show of the second round of the Rockets in 2016. In the 2017-18 season, Zhou Qi (who played an extra year in Xinjiang, equivalent to entering the NBA in the same year) played 18 games for the Rockets, averaging 1.2 points and 1.2 rebounds per game, while Hatten, as a rookie, could only play for the Vipers, a subsidiary of the Rockets, and did not play a single game for the Rockets.
In the 2017-18 season, he played for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, a development league team affiliated with the Rockets, and appeared in 38 games, averaging 9.5 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 18.7 minutes per game.
On July 26, 2018, the Rockets officially signed a three-year contract with Hatten. In 2018-19, Harden averaged 1.9 points and 1.7 rebounds per game, and in the middle of the 2019-20 season, Harden was cut by the Rockets.
In December 2020, the Nuggets signed Harden with a two-year salary, and in March 2021, Hatten was traded by the Nuggets to the Cavaliers. In September 2021, Hatten agreed to a training camp contract with the Clippers, and in January 2022, the Clippers converted the contract to full guarantee.
In July 2022, Harten joined the Knicks for 2 years and $16.7 million, and in the 2023-24 regular season, Hartenstein played in 75 games for the Knicks, averaging 7.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks in 25.3 minutes per game, and played in 13 games in the playoffs, averaging 8.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 29.9 minutes per game.
In fact, to put it bluntly, Hateng is fighting to play, from the development league to the 3000w center, Hatten is always the one who fights the most on the court, at that time Zhou Qi was in the data of the Viper, and Hatten had to fight out 20 rebounds every game.
In fact, there is a reason why Harden was able to join the Thunder, a young team that rose strongly last season, and they beat the defending champion Nuggets in the regular season to finish first in the West. The Thunder swept the Pelicans 4-0 in the first round of the playoffs, and then lost to the Mavericks 2-4 in the Western Conference semifinals.
The arrival of Hartenstein is naturally to further improve the team's interior strength, after all, Holmgren is still relatively immature. If the Thunder want to go far next season, bringing in Hartenstein is extremely necessary.
After signing Hatten, the Thunder will make up the roster for next season. Starters: Quarterback Shay Gilgeous-Alexander, point guard Alex Caruso, small forward Jalen Williams, power forward Chet Holmgren, center Hartenstein. Subs: Carson Wallace, Isaiah Joe, Lüganz Dort, Aaron Wiggins, Jaylin Williams.
Fans, do you think the Thunder's current roster has what it takes to break out of the West? Is there a play for the championship?