OKC Thunder Signs Isaiah Hartenstein Biggest Free Agent Signing in Team History

OKC Thunder Signs Isaiah Hartenstein Biggest Free Agent Signing in Team History

on today’s locked on Thunder podcast the Oklahoma City Thunder make their biggest free agent signing in the history of their franchise plus bring back two important rotational pieces are the Thunder the team the beat you are locked on Thunder your daily Oklahoma City Thunder podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day let’s get it going on the lockdown Thunder podcast on the lockdown podcast Network your teams every day I am your host me member and beat writer for inside the thunder.com Ryland Styles follow me on Twitter rinor Styles follow the show on Twitter L thunderpod email the show L thunderpod gmail.com on Today’s Show braty by FanDuel the Oklahoma City Thunder have signed their biggest free agent in NBA history completing their core while bringing back Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins we’re to get into all of that and what that means coming up today’s show Sprat to by FanDuel will make every moment more as the playoffs are over uh in in in basketball and in hockey sports are starting to uh unwind but this summer FanDuel is hooking up all customers with a huge boost of daily wins and daily bonuses that’s right there’s something for everyone today at f.com lock down to get started so when the thunder sign Isaiah hardenstein and the notification comes across the the The Saga is completed that started on Sunday whenever there was reports right out of the gate that the Thunder had gone to Eugene Oregon to try to land the New York Center and they left Eugene Oregon without the reported deal a deal got worked out overnight in in the morning as W reported and Shams reported that it’s a three-year 87 $7 million deal this is the exclamation point on a perfect offseason but let’s talk about the hartstein piece first before we go big picture so hartstein signs a three-year deal 87 million and that sticker shock might be eye popping to you but you have to keep into perspective that this is a luxury Oklahoma City can afford this deal has been reported that it’s a two-year deal with the third being on guaranteed at imagin of 2 plus one or something like that um we’ll soon figure all that stuff out but the reality is uh it it’s been made clear by the New York Post that the the third year of this deal is seemingly easy get to get off of and it’s a front-loaded contract that is perfect that’s all you needed to hear this deal does not in any way shape or form hinder your core nucleus it does not hinder your ability to bring back Shay Jade and chat it does not hinder your ability to develop Shay JB and chat there’s no power struggle weird dynamic weird mesh period those three continue to be at the top of the snake those three continue to dominate uh you know possessions and opportunities and chances and development and you’ve now flushed out a roster around them that is prepared for rain that’s ready when they are so when you look at this the signing of is herstein yes it it it the the value of the contract might be a bit a bit more what does that $5 million really mean right let’s say let’s say that that they they out bided and and they spent you know five million above market value or whatever number you want to put on it really realistically any number above market value whatever you feel comfor with putting on it let’s say they went above market value for this specific team at this specific moment in time that does not hinder you in the future that figure is completely worth it completely worth it because the thunder in this unique position of threading that needle of getting to spin now and in their last chance of having cap space and you know not hindering their future and it’s been very clear again that New York Times the New York Post report um of of How It’s front loaded and how the thir years’s kind of you know influx you know it’s a non guarantee or it’s an option whatever it’s going to end up coming out as um that makes it very clear that it’s also a very tradable contract should you get there but I don’t think that you’re going to get there what this move does is it makes Oklahoma City the most diverse team in the NBA the the portfolio that they have the options that they have they can match up with anybody any style anywhere anytime when healthy this team can do whatever they need to do to win if you need to go big and you’re thinking to yourself who’s this who’s this Wing who who can play on the wing J J at the power forward in a game where you need to go big well well how about CAD at the power forward when you need to go big and hartenstein in the middle or vice versa but obviously Chad would be more likely to be in the wing how about Chad is the wing we you need to go big How about if a team tries to play the small ball game as the New Orleans Pelicans did which did not work out well in the first round like remember the Pelicans leaned into small ball because the Thunder able to play uh sh us off the floor they lean in a small ball that plays right into the Thunder hands they’re still the best small ball team in the NBA so they’re for sure the best small ball team in the NBA and now they’ve addressed you know the the the weakness so to say of their front Court rotation and and their inability to match up with bigger teams so they can match up with bigger teams they can play small ball they have those two tricks now and then independent of that this is still their style of play this was not a move for the sake of getting bigger this was a move for the sake of playing Thunder basketball so here are the skill sets of isaah hardstein he’s going to bring in hartstein much better rebounder than on roster he’s an exceptional passer for his position he’s a really good decision maker for his position he has ball handling and ability to play off the catch he has an immense cutting ability one of his best traits on on Synergy really good pick and roll option arguably the best screen Setter on the team I think that that’s you know of course a a a skill that’s hard to tangibly Define but I would say he’s the best screen Setter on the team which then leads to some really nice pick and roll opportunities especially for a team uh with such a a drive heavy offense of you get him rolling to the basket you get him cutting to the basket you get him in the dunker spot as a safety net those are all great things then you find him early on short rolls he can then kick it out and read the and keep the defenses moving so his ability to have gravity and floor spacing while we think of floor spacing as like who are you g to stay Tethered to in terms of like if they’re staying at the three-point line will you stay Tethered to them it’s really how many times can you make the defense move and you make the defense move more with passes than you do anything else and he’s an exceptional passer and he presents a different look than what you’re you you’re typically used to seeing so when to to play the Thunder and to gear up to play them you’ve got to be ready to play three different styles you can you can play a you know humongous lineup because now all of a sudden the Thunder have gone from being quote unquote too small to they can put a lineup out there that few teams can match Fay Caruso dub CH hartenstein with what with what Caruso does scaling up as a Defender with the positional size of Shay and then you have job and Chad and hardstein in the front Court find me a team that can get bigger than that find the one team that can get bigger than that effectively because see for for as big as that lineup is it’s also an effective lineup it’s also a lineup that you could actually Envision practically playing and working out by me see they can get you know a better small ball lineup on the floor than the small ball lineups that the Thunder can put up there and then in between those two extremes you just have a normal flow of like we’ve seen what the starting five of of of Shay ruso in place of giddy uh you know Dort dub Chad looks like substituting Caruso for giddy makes that lineup Sensational and now your secondary unit is going to have a stagger of Shay and dub plus K and Wiggins and Joe and Har Ste and like now you’ve elongated that front Court rotation to where now you’re standing at chat hardenstein Jay will Ken Williams in my opinion you know Dylan Jones will play more that forward role than guard role I know that people freaked out that his position label had a g next to it but functionally in the NBA as Nick Crane and I talked about yesterday I think that Jones is included in this kind of uh forward package but specifically a kind of Center package it’d be Chad hardstein the Jay will the kenri at spell if you want to go small they have done everything possible to maximize this off season they they maximize their ability to upgrade for for Josh KY I would I would encourage you to go back to like you know may as soon as the Dallas Maverick series ended what were people’s dream scenarios of a Josh giddy upgrade there were significantly worse than Alex Kusa and yet somehow this organization pulled off getting Alex Kusa so so you could not have asked for a bigger better upgrade fitwise production wise stylistically than Caruso and giddy as we’ve mentioned it countless times on this pod will have a fantastic career in in Chicago but for this team cruso is a massive upgrade then they go into the draft and you know they they take a high upside pick at 12 who could pan out they take two extremely versatile players um you know to end the first round and the the top of the second round to keep their flexibility open and also draft really good players and also draft for the future and draft for uh you know upside and production and everything else then they go into free agency and they land the guy they land the guy that everybody wants this was the hottest name uh among Thunder fans this is a guy that traded in Broadway for Bricktown which has never happened before in the history of the world much less in the history of basketball now the payday certainly helps pay increase certainly helps but there’s also a belief that like adding hartenstein who averages seven points a game eight rebounds a game two assists a game a steal a block per game who shoots 61% on Runners who has all these thundery skills besides the outside shooting but no big man is perfect that’s going to have all those skills you cannot get any more Thunder style big men than hartenstein especially for the contract and for the threading the needle aspect of that contract that falls off the books before Shay JB and chat like you could not have done any better than hartenstein to address your needs and the fact that you did not have to give up assets to go do it is a luxury that the Thunder have never been able to to have to this point this is the first time ever in any iteration in any team where the Thunder have this dramatically improved their roster you know without giving up assets without giving up picks without giving up young players in any sense and I think that what this trade is I mean I’m sorry signing is see how see how just programmed your brain is when talking about the thunder to talk about trades I think that this transaction is the thunder preparing for rain we’ll talk about that we’ll talk about what some of these moves mean in retrospect and thunder made two other signings today as well all coming up but first want to say right now A about good friends over at FanDuel check out fanduel.com lockdown to get started fanduel.com lockdown folks every customer can go check out uh FanDuel right now lockon because while they understand that we all love sports and that they’re they’re kind of winding down a little bit right now with only baseball unfolding they’re not really sportsing like you would expect FanDuel still has something for everybody there at f.com so check out the app uh and go right now uh to f.com lockon f.com is hooking up all of our customers with a boost and a bonus daily that’s right something for everyone at f.com lockon and if you’re if you’re thinking to yourself well I only care about the NBA I only know enough about the NBA to get invested in in this go to f.com go to the NBA tab Oaks Thunder Championship odds after signing is hartstein is plus 850 that puts them tied for third only trailing the Celtics and the Nuggets maybe it’s worth putting some action on if if you really believe uh in this core the odds out west of course plus 380 only trailing uh the Denver Nuggets you can also bet on to MVP where he third best odds right there so check out today at f.com lockon b.com locked on we’re back on lock down ther podcast on the lockdown podcast Network your teams every day folks when you look at this move I think that this signing of Jose harste is the thunder preparing for rain you look at where this roster sits right now they’re ready everything around the Thunder is ready the fan base is certainly ready for the team to compete and and and to be title contenders and they are third in the title odds but more importantly like look at this roster if you Stripped Away Shay jdub and Chad you see the Thunder have built a premier Supreme roster of a really exceptional role players who understand their role who understand their job and who have been effective in their role both on Off the Bench both you know in the starting five and everywhere in between who understand what it takes to be a key piece next to primary guys and now you add in those three guys back to the equation who understand that for their own success it’s best for them to maximize those role players because if you are a team that is willing to share the love so to say then as a defense you’ve got to defend everybody and keep your head on S at all costs because you never know what’s actually going to to happen and how this possession is going to end you’re not just you know pounding the the the ball into the hardwood creating a dent in the floor waiting for the the 8C Mark and then going to score in isolation like you like understanding that these you know parts are and and this team is a living breathing organism that you have to uh you know cover at all times that is something that is unique about this Tandem and about this team but at the end of the day at the end of the day this team will go as far as Shay Chad and JB takes them because it’s a star driven League that doesn’t change for the Thunder it doesn’t change for anybody what the Thunder have changed what the Thunder have done how they’re flipping the odds on the casino so to say is that they know for a fact that it’s those three guys and that those three guys are their guys it’s a matter of when are those three guys going to be ready to to take that leap you know Shay was exceptional in the playoffs he he was one of the best players in the postseason you saw job in the second round you he needed to see the pictures he needed to develop he needed to see um you know ways to adjust you saw Chad have some inconsistent scoring lows which I think partly on the guards partly on chat just like need to be more aggressive but at the end of the day you’ve seen those two guys now they’ve seen what it takes to make it in the postseason whenever that light bulb fully clicks for those three here’s the preparing for rain part when the light bulb goes off for those three guys and it’s already gone off for one of them they will be a a trio that is a championship Trio and instead of scrambling on the back end once that’s happened to figure out how to compliment them to figure out how to play around them to figure out how to get guys in that can that can uplift such a talented group this is a championship level rotation in a star driven League you’ve got a championship level rotation so whenever you know jadb and chett who are very young players reach their playoff like electric moment as Sam prey would say in his in his uh exit interview uh or his draft interview about no this next interview about whenever Joel asked him about um the the late Bulls you Scout whenever you watch these players and you want those electric moments whenever they happen for those guys in the playoffs the Thunder are ready to support that they’re ready to support that and maximize it to where none of these runs are going to go to waste like none of these runs are going to be like okay well now those three guys are there how do we help them they have the help you cannot ask for better role players than Caruso hardenstein Joe Wiggins and so forth but those role players aren’t what get you over the hump what get you over the hump is your Stars playing like stars and so what this move is this signing I think it’s a gamble of of hey within this three-year window those top three are going to be ready and we’ve got to be ready to support those top three and so yes you know it’s a lot of money and I think people are going to be shocked like how you going to pay that much money to a to a backup big how you going to pay that much money to a big guy to Isaiah hardenstein you going pay that much money to him first of all had to pay the money anyway to get to the salary C floor which they were able to pay Wiggins and Joe which we’re still G to talk about coming up but secondly this money does not hinder them to sign you know Joe or Wiggins and it also did not hinder them to sign Shay J been shut in the future so this is like kind of fund money so to say and why just for the sake of perception of like oh what you can’t do you can’t pay a backup center this much you can’t pay Isaiah hartstein this much why would you for the sake of perception Wabble over five six seven eight whatever the money amount is million dollars of perception whenever you could spend that money as the Thunder of done and maximize your title window so I think it’s a it’s a it’s a bet on hey within these three years Shay J and chat will be ready to to win a championship and be ready and be players that can take your team to the championship will you have Championship pieces around them and the answer right now is unequivocally yes yes you will have Championship pieces around those three guys whenever they’re ready to make that leap and I think it’s a safe bet I I I think that it is a bet that uh would get such you know bad odds you wouldn’t place money on it because it’s gonna happen JB and Chad will be ready along with Shay sooner than later and now you’re ready to support that and Foster that and so when you look at these moves and now you can start to string together the full picture of the season and the postseason and the and the offseason you go all the way back to the Hayward trade which Sam prey mentioned in his X interview like that trade was bigger than just Gordon Hayward what it did was it cleared cap space imagine if that trade doesn’t go down as Retros active as like we want to grade trades and and and do it quick and do it now and like mean you you can go back and read the comment section of this podcast after the draft and see what what the fan base pulse was right after the draft we don’t have the clear picture here’s the clear picture we have it right now the Hayward trade hey thought it could work thought it could uh you know you know be something where he helps eliminate some scoring LS and he’s a veteran presence on a team that’s making their first postseason run but the bigger picture of that trade was always at cap space and Sam pry said as much out loud to the public masses as exit interview now imagine if they didn’t do that and imagine if they didn’t do that and now they’re sitting on you know bans meic man’s contracts and this opportunity presents itself to go get hardenstein but first You’ got to get rid of this money and you got to and you got to make shift this money around well now can squeeze even more out of you more second round picks more picks in general they they would really even have you over a barrel to the point where they could probably get a first- round pick out of you um you know whenever they know you that you need that to happen to sign your biggest free agent um you know in in organizational history and a signing that completes your roster like this signing it cannot be understo like how much that this signing means both basketball-wise and otherwise like there’s a reason why Zack low one of the most respected mines and basketball from a media standpoint was discussing on ESPN last night how opposing teams are are hoping like desperately hoping that the thunder strike out because this team is a is a sleeping giant which sounds crazy about a number one overall seed but like they’re number one overall seed in the west that that that everyone understands that was not even their best shot now you’ve given yourself the best shot so like clearing up that cast base proactively is massive for getting this done the fact that Sam prey also mentioned as as press conference of like they’re not shutting anything off like they’re not trying to be stubborn or prove anyone wrong or or never go sign this or never go sign that they’re just trying to find their guys look at who they’ve added look at who they’ve added you know we did the all juice team on SI you know I put together the three team all juice team if I had to put together three team all thundery team of guys not currently on the Thunder roster gu who’d be first team members Alex kuso Isaiah hartenstein Dylan Mitchell I’m sorry Dylan Jones AJ Mitchell Nia topic like th those guys would be on the list of like alltime thundery guys who aren’t on the Thunder roster right now so while they didn’t go out and prove anyone wrong and they were willing to go sign big guys they maximized you know getting a big guy who’s a thundery guy they maximize getting kuso who scales up and helps you defend the biger guys but is a thundery guy threw him through literally from the organizational uh you know Nestle the draft allowed them to stay versatile of like Bing on the upside of those three picks not not like straying away from your identity in the draft and now you’re ready to plop in hartenstein with no with no you know strange outcome of like for example let’s just hypo say they drafted my favorite big man target hand up my favorite big man target was Don Holmes I love Don Holmes I think he’s going to be an excellent player for Denver I think he’s going to be awesome but you reach for him at 12 right you reach for him at 12 to to fill a need then this hardenstein thing comes out who would you rather have for this season for a team that should chatt and JB take that step in the postseason is a championship level team and a team that I think will be favored to win the championship from the West you know get out of the West I should say Boston will be the favorite favorite gu of the West I think when the DK setts this offseason the favorite to the West is in Oklahoma City who’s the better player to get you there it’s hardenstein it’s what we said on draft night and on draft night you all called me crazy of like oh well you know you whatever you should want this team to do what they just did spin the draft working on versatility and upside and then F your need with actualized NBA Talent they’ve done just that and then again the trade for Cru thing gets lost because it happened before the massive shaking of the draft and fre agency the Caruso trade you pair him with hartstein and and a team that was already second defensively and and nearly in the top defensively this is Far and Away the best defense in the NBA Far and Away no if answer buts about it like this is the best defense in the NBA they both help you upgrade your offense they both help you upgrade your versatility and they both help you get over the hump of um you know beating some of the teams you need to beat to get to the to get to the finals and to get to you know the the ultimate goal so what what this move does is just it opens up a lot of doors while also kind of putting a uh a shiny new bow on on your roster like this roster is prepared it’s going to come down to when those three guys are ready to to make that leap and you you it could be this year could be as soon as April could be next April could be the April after that but you are prepared for when that happens we’ll talk about the other signings coming up we’re back on the lockdown Thunder podcast on the lockdown podcast Network your teams every day thank you so much for making us your first listen every single morning every single day we’re here for you talking Thunder basketball subscribe to the show anywhere get your podcast from including on YouTube Today’s Show is a massive one uh with Isaiah hartstein signing the the best contract in in uh he’s the he’s the biggest free agent in the history of the organization uh but the Thunder also signed Wiggins and Isaiah Joe resigned those two guys on deals that are awesome four-year deal 48 million uh fouryear deal with for $48 million fora Joe which is about $12 million per year uh fiveyear deal $57 million for Wiggins which is like 11.4 million uh for him first and foremost before we even break down the and O and what it means and the gr of their picture how cool is that these are two second round guys for Wiggins he’s a 55th overall pick who not only got onto a two-way contract and then got converted to a standard contract but has now reached his third contract in a pretty significant payday and was so valuable to this team that you wanted to pay him early you didn’t want to take it to the bitter end of the deal you wanted to pay him early that’s rare it’s rare from a team standpoint to Foster that development it’s rare from a player standpoint to go get that the list is short of guys who’ve accomplished what Wiggins has accomplished same for Isaiah Joe second round guy who got cut these guys typically don’t make it second round guy who gets cut signs with a new team at the end of training camp it’s stressed it in never looks back four-year deal one of the best you know sharp shooters in the NBA uh you know in terms of role players and rotational players two massive keys to a 57 win team two massive pieces to a 57 win team right here from the second round uh you know and kind of unprecedented stories so to say not unprecedented but like you know very very uh unusual and rare stories but for isah Joe and and Wiggins they’re both very you know tradable contracts same with hardstein so while you’ve done this these moves to improve this roster you’ve also maintained future flexibility with all these moves and that’s the delicate balance that you walk you want to you want to walk that line of of maximizing how good this team can be in this window with flexibility to make sure that that window continues to bounce and bounce and bounce forward this Thunder team would not sh me if they won a championship flat out I would come down to JB and chat playing at star levels in the postseason but it would not Shock Me with what’s in place Coach of the Year consensus top five player in the sport two rising stars who who are going to have an All-Star caliber year again it’s tough to get three guys on the All-Star team who knows if they’ll actually make the All-Star team but they will be considered All-Star caliber guys two of the best role players in the sport in a ton of depth and I mentioned the coach of the year and one of the best Executives in the sport like this team it would not Shock me if they want a championship right now they’ve also left themselves open for the future and for and for future flexibility and and like these are two valuable Commodities like the versatility of Wiggins you score at all three levels and defend every position the the elite NBA trait of Joe’s three-point shooting valuable Commodities on valuable contracts which is how moves get done in the future in the way distant future but for right now just an awesome story there an awesome outcome for those for those guys but ultimately you could easily look back on this as being one of the most one of the biggest Monumental days in Thunder history to lure away isai hartstein from not only New York but a contending New York team who struggled to to to kind of get under the cap and everything under the hard cap to to make this happen to get him away from that put pluck him into the Thunders readymade team plus retain Joe and Wiggins it it sets yourself up for a a really really bright season a really really bright future um and just all around a sense of Applause for what the Thunder pulled off it is July 1 in the year of Our Lord 2024 and the Thunder have check check check checked every box that’s impressive and now you move forward and wonder what does the starting lineup look like what does it look like on the court and all these basketball questions we’re going to get into tomorrow but you can rest easy knowing that the pieces the ingredients are in the kitchen how you put that meal together how you measure things out how you season things like that’s still up for the debate but you have the ingredients of a championship level team in Oklahoma City it’s exciting really exciting let me know your thoughts on Isaiah hartstein and this move uh on Twitter at Ryland Styles check us out at SI Thunder Sports Illustrated um and lock down Thunder anywhere your podcast from including on YouTube you can let me know in the comment section down below what you think of this move you give it a thumbs up you like uh what do you think of all this move and more so we’ll be back again talking basketball tomorrow and talking about how this looks on the court and how these moving Parts you know are are feasibly going to come together what the roster looks like and so much more there’s a lot to discuss uh and so until tomorrow be good and be good to one another

The Oklahoma City Thunder have landed Isaiah Hartenstein in NBA Free Agency, as OKC Thunder lures Hartenstein away from the New York Knicks it is instantly their best and biggest Free Agent signing ever. Oklahoma City is one of the smallest markets in the NBA and just landed a player that completes their roster. Title Favorites? OKC also brings back Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins on team-friendly pacts. How the Gordon Hayward trade impacted this move, Alex Caruso pairing with Hartenstein is Bricktown preparing for rain. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren are poised for a leap.

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