The Thunder made Isaiah Hartenstein an offer he couldn’t refuse and one the Knicks couldn’t match.
Hartenstein, the beloved Knicks center, has agreed to a three-year, $87 million contract with the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference this past season, according to ESPN.
The Knicks could only offer four years and $72.5 million.
Hartenstein’s representatives worked on the deal overnight as the NBA free agency window opened Sunday, per ESPN, and the Thunder added much-needed size.
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The Knicks will now have to find a backup center in what is a limited market.
Hartenstein’s contract features an annual average value of $29 million, which is more than 50 percent greater than the $18.1 million his Knicks deal would have featured.