Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein has suffered a non-displaced fracture in his left hand that will hold him out for the next five to six weeks.
The 26-year-old center signed a three-year, $87 million deal with the Thunder after a resurgent 2023-24 season with the Knicks. In 75 games with a career-high 49 starts, he averaged 7.8 points with a career-high 8.3 rebounds per game while shooting 64.4% from the field.
He was an invaluable replacement for the injured Mitchell Robinson, who once again was out for considerable stretches last year. Robinson is not expected to return to action until December or January as he recovers from foot surgery.
Hartenstein’s departure, coupled with Robinson’s injury history, prompted the Knicks to make one of the biggest trades of the offseason, acquiring Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves for a package including Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.
It was the latest big move of the offseason for Leon Rose, who also acquired Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets and re-signed OG Anunoby to a five-year, $212.5 million
Because of the new contracts on the books, the Knicks could only offer Hartenstein a max deal of four years, $72.5 million.
“It was hard. I was in a situation where I loved my teammates, I loved New York,” Hartesntein said at his introductory press conference in Oklahoma City back in July. “I really appreciated what [president Leon Rose] and [head coach Tom Thibodeau] did for me. The fans in New York really showed me love.”
