Thunder re-sign Isaiah Hartenstein: Why the move was so important and what's next for OKC's offseason

The Oklahoma City Thunder have had an active June, maneuvering pieces on their roster to strike a balance between staying competitive and avoiding the harsh realities of life as a second-apron team. 

They started by trading Aaron Wiggins to the Hawks and Isaiah Joe to the Pistons, taking back second-round picks in both deals to shed just over $20 million off their cap sheet. With an apparent goal of getting below the second apron, the expectation has been that the Thunder would have to lose another key rotation piece. After drafting Aday Mara in the first round, some wondered if Isaiah Hartenstein might be on his way out of Oklahoma City. 

However, given how important center depth will be in the West to combat Victor Wembanyama (and Nikola Jokić), the Thunder worked out a new three-year, $75 million deal with Hartenstein to stay in Oklahoma City, as reported by ESPN on Friday night. Hartenstein averaged 9.2 points and 9.4 rebounds last season in 47 regular-season appearances and posted similar averages of 9.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 15 postseason starts. 

Why keeping Hartenstein was crucial to the Thunder

Hartenstein arrived in Oklahoma City in the summer of 2024 and, alongside Alex Caruso, was one of the key additions that unlocked the Thunder's ceiling as a championship team. Over the past two years, the Thunder have come to recognize how vital it is to have depth and optionality on the roster, giving coach Mark Daigneault a variety of play styles to deal with different postseason matchups. 

Hartenstein's postseason minutes allocation is an example of that, as he averaged 23.5 minutes against the Suns, 27.8 minutes against the Lakers and 20.9 minutes against the Spurs. In the Western Conference Finals, his minutes oscillated between scarcely in the rotation and heavy minutes as they tried to throw different looks at Wembanyama.  

It's clear that the Thunder's priority in making cuts is to maintain roster versatility by cutting back where they felt they had duplicate depth. With Jared McCain and Ajay Mitchell emerging as strong playoff contributors, they were willing to part with Joe and Wiggins. 

Hartenstein provides something none of Oklahoma City's other bigs offer, and that made keeping him a priority even in an offseason where shedding salary to duck the second apron is the apparent goal. He is the team's best rebounder, strongest post defender and best facilitator in the frontcourt. He provides a key balance to Chet Holmgren's help defense and floor spacing, anchoring the paint on defense and offering a secondary playmaking hub from the elbow. Losing Hartenstein would have taken away some of the Thunder's dynamism and ability to mix up their looks, one of their greatest strengths over the past two years. 

Still, bringing him back had to be at the right number and they were able to shave a few million off what he was making to get him in at $25 million annually -- with the expectation that his deal is a flat contract with no raises. That leaves a bit of work for the Thunder to get under the second apron, or at least close to it, so they can make a minor move during the season to maneuver completely below it. 

What's next for OKC's offseason?

Sam Presti and Oklahoma City's front office have two main decisions left to make with team options on Luguentz Dort ($17.7 million) and Kenrich Williams ($7.2 million). If they picked up both of those options, they would be just over $13 million above the second apron. The Thunder will likely decline both options, but could try to work out new deals with both players for less money. If Williams were to return on a veteran minimum deal, that'd shave around $3.7 million off the number, but they could also opt to let him walk entirely. 

Dort presents tougher calculus. He's been a workhorse, starting 69 games last year. He has been a key cog in their defense, but also had a brutal postseason offensively; the team was significantly better with Caruso on the floor in his place. The question there is whether the number Oklahoma City has in mind for a new deal aligns with what Dort views as his value. If not, and there's more money and opportunity elsewhere for him, he could walk and become their biggest loss of the offseason. 

If they let Williams walk and got Dort to sign, say, a three-year, $42 million deal ($14 million AAV), they'd be around $2 million away from the second apron line and could look to shed one of their smaller contracts to reach their preferred number. As CBS Sports' Sam Quinn has pointed out, Thomas Sorber, the No. 15 pick in last year's draft, could be expendable after the selection of Mara, the 7-foot-3 center out of Michigan. Nikola Topić could also be cut loose after the Bennett Stirtz pick at No. 16, four spots behind Mara. Replacing either or both of those two with minimum deals could do the trick. 

As evidenced by the New York Knicks' championship celebration lasting all of one day before owner James Dolan threw cold water on their summer by publicly proclaiming they wouldn't go over the second apron, there is no team in the league immune to the pressure of avoiding that number. That's especially true for a team that's always operated in a cost-conscious manner in a smaller market like Oklahoma City, and this summer is all about finding a balance between savings and remaining a title contender. 

With the depth they've developed, few teams have positioned themselves better for dealing with that reality than the Thunder. But this summer, that is getting trimmed and the margins will get even slimmer for one of the West's best. 

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