This past offseason, the OKC Thunder made quite a sizable splash in free agency when they signed highly coveted big man Isaiah Hartenstein to a three-year, $87 million deal.
However, before they came to this franchise record-setting agreement, Oklahoma City was reported to have had their sights set on another noteworthy baller available on the open market.
Per a July report by ESPN NBA Insider Ramona Shelburne, Sam Presti and company "were interested" in pursuing star wing Klay Thompson On top of this, according to her sources, the feeling was mutual.
"...the wing "was intrigued by the young Oklahoma City Thunder," suggesting that, in theory, there was a chance they could have beaten out Dallas in a hypothetical pursuit," wrote Ramona Shelburne
and Kendra Andrews.
The report would continue on by noting that, despite this intrigue in the high-profile star, the Thunder made it a point to prioritize strengthening easily their biggest rotational weakness at center instead. As a result, Hartenstein ultimately became their guy and Thompson would head south to the Dallas Maverick.
Now, five months removed from this initially polarizing decision, their choice to pass on the veteran only seems to get better with every passing day.
Chosing Isaiah Hartenstein over Klay Thompson right move for Thunder
Simply put, Isaiah Hartenstein is widely regarded as an inferior talent compared to Klay Thompson.
With the fact that he's a five-time All-Star, four-time NBA Champion, and a top 10 three-point shooter in league history who's a lock to enter the Hall of Fame once eligible, this just simply isn't a question.
Yet, despite the discrepancy in status, there's no doubt that I-Hart has proven himself to be a more optimal pick-up for the Thunder than Thompson would have been.
Last season, Oklahoma City's main downfall proved to be their lacking size on the roster, as Chet Holmgren was their only regularly used player who measured above 6-foot-9. This lack of help in the vertical department played a significant role in their six-game West Semifinal demise against the bigger and bulkier Mavs.
With this, the Thunder clearly made it their mission to up the ante with their frontcourt arsenal by adding the 7-foot, 249-pound Hartenstein. So far, it's worked wonders for their on-court production and overall success.
Since making his regular season debut back on November 20, OKC has lost just once (7-1 over this span) while ranking ninth in rebounds (finished 27 last season) and first in opponents points in the paint (finished seventh last season).
Along the way, the 26-year-old has found himself dropping career-best averages all across the board with 11.8 points, 12.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.3 blocks on 56.9 percent shooting from the field and ranks second on the team behind superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in plus-minus rating at +10.5.
The fact that Hartenstein is playing at such a high level and that Oklahoma City is tied for the best record in the association since making his way to the team is no mere coincidence and fans have the front office's decision to pass up on Klay Thompson in free agency to thank for this overall prosperity.