Heading into the year, many believed Isaiah Hartenstein to be a lame duck player of sorts, as it was widely believed that the OKC Thunder would inevitably opt out of his club option for 2026-27 in an effort to duck under the dreaded luxury tax.
Parting ways with his $28.5 million salary alone would do the trick.
However, through this first half of action in 2025-26, the impact that Hartenstein has had on this dynasty-pushing squad has been undeniable. So much so, in fact, that The Athletic's Sam Vecenie is actively thinking up ways to make trades in the now with the aim of keeping I-Hart around for the entirety of his contract.
Sam Vecenie proposes Isaiah Joe trade to hold onto Thunder big
In a recent episode of the Game Theory Podcast, Vecenie, along with co-host Bryce Simon, discussed how the top-seeded Thunder may want to make some sort of small shakeup ahead of this year's trade deadline to not only carve out cap space for the purposes of retaining Hartenstein next season, but also to better their on-court productivity in this one.
Quickly, the draft guru proposed a double-whammy hypothetical exchange with the Chicago Bulls that would ship out Isaiah Joe for Coby White.
"If they wanted to try and move Isaiah Joe for a ball-handler on an expiring deal that would better allow them to retain Isaiah Hartenstein into the future, I think that is something that I would be willing to discuss," Vecenie said. "... Coby White would be amazing. If they were just, like, 'Let's get Coby White for this stretch run.' And they have the picks to be able to do that if they would want to, and Isaiah Joe's salary matches Coby White's."
White has been a player rumored to be on the trade block all season.
Playing through the final year of his current pact with the Bulls, considering the fact that the franchise just re-signed Josh Giddey to a long-term extension last summer and is likely looking to re-up with Ayo Dosunmu this upcoming offseason, it seems all but certain that his time in the Windy City's backcourt will be coming to an end.
With this, Vecenie's proposal would find the Bulls capitalizing in the immediate future by bringing on an absolute sniper of a wing in I-Joe (career 40.1 shooter from long-range) on a highly affordable, multi-year deal, while the Thunder would finally address their need for more of an abundance of secondary ball-handlers behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with the arrival of White.
Over the last three seasons, the 25-year-old has established himself as a true force to be reckoned with out in the backcourt, as he's been dropping sensational averages of 19.6 points, 4.8 assists, and 4.0 rebounds on 36.7 percent shooting from deep.
Having such production coming off the pine, even if it's just for this hopeful title repeat run and then letting him depart this summer in free agency, could prove to be a true luxury for the Thunder, especially with the built-in perk of having the ability to hold onto Hartenstein next year as a result.
At the very least, it's a concept worth exploring.