Knicks Center Meeting with Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder are looking to meet with New York Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency.

Mar 31, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) shoots the ball while being defended by Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins (21) during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-USA TODAY Sports | John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Knicks and the rest of the NBA are now able to negotiate with free agents that aren't on their roster, and one team is looking to take advantage of that.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Oklahoma City Thunder are meeting with breakout center Isaiah Hartenstein in Eugene, Oregon to talk about potentially signing with them.

Hartenstein, 26, could sign a deal near $20 million per year, which is a price the Knicks cannot match. New York can offer a four-year, $72 million at best for Hartenstein, but it's unlikely that the team would look to even get to that level without making a move instead of that.

The Knicks have already spent a lot this offseason by trading for Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets and signing OG Anunoby to a five-year, $212.5 million deal. With those transactions taking place, the Knicks are hard-capped, and they are looking to make moves to get off that.

This doesn't mean Hartenstein is already gone, but the Knicks have to make moves if they want to retain him. Knowing that the Thunder are already meeting with Hartenstein, time is running out on the Knicks if they really want to try and make a move to bring him back.

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