OKC Thunder Has Isaiah Hartenstein's Future 'In Their Hands' And Must Retain Him

The Oklahoma City Thunder have seen exit interviews come and go, Isaiah Hartenstein was asked about his future with the club where he shared his thoughts.

May 28, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) warms up before the start of game six of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

In the summer of 2024, the Oklahoma City Thunder landed its biggest free agent signing in team history. The OKC Thunder inked Isaiah Hartenstein to a three-year $87 million pact with the third year being a team option worth $28.5 million.

This deal was inked in the aftermath of the Thunder being ousted by the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the NBA Playoffs, largely due to its lack of front-court depth and not only did Hartenstein fill that void, but he was vital in the team's first-ever title, aiding Oklahoma City in hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy in June of 2025.

In year two with Oklahoma City, Hartenstein continued to boost the Thunder on the glass and made headlines for his defense of Spurs star Victor Wembanyama in the Western Conference Finals before OKC was bounced in Game 7 of the series that was, in some ways, lost due to injuries.

Hartenstein has proven his value on the court. The playmaking and screen setting opens up Oklahoma City's offense, his push shot is known to bail them out of jams and he is head and shoulders above the entire roster on the glass, both with the rebounds he gobbles up and the space he creates for guards to fly in and scoop up boards thanks to his elite box outs. The seven-footer is the definition of a glue guy for this team, and when he missed time due to injuries during the regular season, it was easy to spot where Oklahoma City sorely missed his irreplaceable impact.

As the Thunder's decision on his $28.5 million team option looms large, it is important for Oklahoma City to retain its starting big man this summer. Hartenstein is a veteran who has already played for six different organizations at age 27 and knows the business very well.

"Yeah, we just lost yesterday, so at the end of the day, that's something that will be discussed more at the end. Yeah, I love being here. I love the organization, but it's a lot in their hands. I think that them and my agent will talk. It's a business at the end of the day. But whatever happens, I'm truly grateful," Hartenstein explained at exit interviews last week.

Hartenstein is factually accurate. The Thunder must first accept or decline Hartenstein's team option before either party can make its next move. A popular route –– and one Oklahoma City has gone down in the past –– is to decline and re-sign Hartenstein to a larger term deal. Given the Thunder's ability to ink Hartenstein and the lack of cap space teams out there on the open market, this should be what Oklahoma City pulls off next month. Though it isn't out of the picture to simply pick up his team option and figure it out in the future, it would make next summer even more interesting.

Many expect that Oklahoma City will let go of Lu Dort (Who is awaiting the Thunder's decision on a $17.7 million team option), work Kenrich Williams down from his current $7.5 million team option via decline and re-sign the veteran and likely trading at least one of Isaiah Joe and/or Aaron Wiggins. If these moves go according to plan, the Thunder could ink Hartenstein to a longer-term deal while avoiding the second apron.

Hartenstein has not just been impactful on the court, but off it as well. His work in the Oklahoma City community is second to none. The Hartenstein Foundation is constantly going above and beyond for the City and it started from the second he set foot in Bricktown.

"The community is big for me. I think since I got here, I really started connecting with the community and just how they approach just giving back, how they approach being selfless, and so on. It's always a big thing, I think me in general, the whole Oklahoma City have gotten pretty close pretty fast. There's always a personal side to it. But again, it's not really in my court," Hartenstein explained.

This has been something that Hartenstein has acted on right away in Oklahoma City and has taken ownership of helping those in need around the City and improving the quality of life for many Oklahomans.

"I think I learn a lot every time I do these community events. I think just sitting down with the kids, learning what they've been through, I think just helps me learn more about myself, learn how to be a better human being. I think we're in a situation where I get a lot of recognition just for playing basketball, and I think just to be able to go back in the community, kind of I guess humble yourself again," Hartenstein detailed. "It doesn't matter for me if you're the best basketball player in the world working a normal 9:00 to 5:00 job, we're all humans at the end of the day. It doesn't make me better just because I can play basketball a little better than someone else. I think some people are just unfortunate with certain circumstances, and that's why I just want to make sure, even if it's just listen to kids, that that can help them have more belief in themself that they can achieve something. That's always something that's really important to me. Again, I was fortunate enough to have certain people in my life that really helped me believe I can get here, and I think sometimes that's all kids need, is that someone comes in and believes in them and helps them achieve whatever they want. That's always just really important to me, just to be in that little aspect."

On and off the court it is a no brainer, the Oklahoma City Thunder must retain Hartenstein this summer.