After months of speculation over what Isaiah Hartenstein's future with the club could look like, last week the OKC Thunder officially turned down the big man's team option for 2026-27, only to then re-up with him on a new three-year, $75 million pact.
Though many may have initially expected I-Hart to be a goner this summer, what with Oklahoma City's financial situation and the center's lofty salary, Sam Presti and company ultimately believed it would be best to secure his services through 2028-29.
Now, following the latest news on Thomas Sorber, they must be even more glad to have locked the 28-year-old down, as it was announced Wednesday that the soon-to-be sophomore center underwent a minor arthroscopic procedure on his right knee.
Thomas Sorber adds another surgery to resume since joining Thunder
Since being selected 15 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, Sorber has yet to play a single minute of meaningful action as a member of the Thunder after suffering from a torn ACL prior to the start of last season.
Though the operation was deemed successful and that he's expected to return to on-court activity in roughly a month, the fact that he finds himself going under the knife to address the same knee that he suffered a season-ending torn ACL in last September is yet another harsh reminder of how fragile this Thunder frontcourt has proven to be over the past few seasons.
Regardless of how standard these kinds of procedures are when it comes to the ACL rehab process, Hartenstein staying put serves as a much-needed frontcourt security blanket for this title-hungry team.
Isaiah Hartenstein offers security to questionable Thunder frontcourt
From Sorber being redshirted for all of his first season in the association due to his knee injury to star Chet Holmgren missing all but 32 games two years ago with a right iliac wing fracture, Oklahoma City's center depth has been plagued by injuries and missed games since their title-winning season.
As if this wasn't enough to question the reliability of the club's frontcourt rotation, Aday Mara, OKC's lottery-selected pivot in this summer's draft, has already openly acknowledged that it may take him some time to acclimate to the NBA and become the player the Thunder drafted him to be.
All things considered, it's more than logical for Presti to have thought beyond his objective of getting this team under the second apron threshold and, instead, prioritize strengthening their big man position with the services of a man who, throughout his two-year tenure, has averaged 10.3 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists per game and served as the starting center during their championship run.
When it comes to the Thunder's highly unstable pivot position, having more options is certainly ideal.
Add us as a preferred source on Google