The New York Knicks scored a major cup when they traded for Mikal Bridges to reunite him with his college teammates Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo.
But the euphoria quickly turned into anxiety for the Knicks fans as SNY’s Ian Begley reported that the Knicks’ prized free agent center Isaiah Hartenstein “is unlikely to return.”
“Hartenstein is expected to be a top target for several opposing teams in free agency. With the offers that Hartenstein is expected to command on the open market, it’s become increasingly unlikely that [the Knicks] will be able to retain Hartenstein, per SNY sources,” Begley wrote on X shortly after the Bridges trade.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski shared a similar sentiment as the Knicks still have a lot of work to do, including re-signing their top free agent OG Anunoby.
“The Knicks are still determined to keep OG Anunoby in free agency, sources tell ESPN, but the ability to resign center Isaiah Hartenstein becomes more difficult now. The Knicks are loading up on wings to match up with the NBA champion Boston Celtics,” Wojnarowski wrote on X.
2 Teams Interested in Knicks Center
The Knicks’ offer to Hartenstein is capped at $72.5 million over four years due to his early Bird rights.
Begley noted teams with more than $30 million in cap room such as Orlando and Oklahoma City are being mentioned as a potential landing spot for Hartenstein.
The 26-year-old Hartenstein is in line for a massive payday after outplaying his now expired two-year, $16 million contract with a breakout season.
The German-American center joined Anthony Davis and Victor Wembanyama as the only players with 85 blocks and 85 steals in a season. He became the first player since Moses Malone in 1982 to record 12 offensive rebounds and five assists in a playoff game, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Hartenstein blossomed in Mitchell Robinson‘s absence, providing playmaking at the center position with his two-man game with Knicks star Jalen Brunson and rim protection.
In 64 starts, including the playoffs this season, Hartenstein averaged 9.1 rebounds, 8.6 points, 3.2 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.2 blocks.
4 Potential Isaiah Hartenstein Replacement
According to Hoopshype’s Michael Scotto, the Knicks have four free-agent centers as a possible replacement for Hartenstein if he leaves for a bigger contract.
“Should New York lose Hartenstein in free agency to a higher offer elsewhere, several centers are on their radar as potential replacements, including free agents Goga Bitadze, Jonas Valanciunas, and Nick Richards, who would be a trade target, league sources told HoopsHype. There’s also an outside chance the Knicks make a run at Andre Drummond, sources said,” Scotto wrote on June 24.
Valanciunas and Drummond, a former four-time rebounding champion, are the bigger names and have the experience. But Bitadze and Richards have the upside and presumably less ego to accept a backup role to Robinson.
The 32-year-old Valanciunas is a traditional center who averaged 12.2 points and 8.8 rebounds in New Orleans last season. Drummond, a rebounding demon, fits the Tom Thibodeau type. The 30-year-old center crashes the board. He averaged 17.7 points and 18.9 rebounds per 36 minutes last season.
Meanwhile, the 24-year-old Bitadze averaged 7.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.7 blocks in 33 starts this past season in Orlando. He finished the season putting up 5.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 blocks across 62 games.
Richards, a former Kentucky Wildcat, has vastly improved over the last two seasons. After averaging 8.2 points and 6.4 rebounds during the 2022-23 season, his game went a notch up this past season. The 7-foot center with a 7’4 wingspan started in 51 of 67 games for the Charlotte Hornets last season. He averaged 10.1 points 8.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks as a starter.
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