The Oklahoma City Thunder have entered the trade rumor landscape, and Isaiah Hartenstein could potentially be the name on the block. He’ll have a team option this summer, and with the Thunder pressed up against the second apron, perhaps they may look to seek out cheaper options via trade.
"Here's an interesting name: Isaiah Hartenstein," Brian Windhorst said on a recent edition of The Hoop Collective podcast. "He's got a team option next year for $29 million. I've actually heard the Oklahoma City Thunder's name in some trade chatter." The question is, what type of trade could the Thunder look to make that would help them now and in the long run?
Well, this monstrosity of a four-teamer could do the trick.
This Isaiah Hartenstein trade is very intriguing for the Thunder
Here’s the full outline of a potential deal that could make everyone involved happy:
Thunder receive: Ivica Zubac, Brook Lopez
Celtics receive: Isaiah Hartenstein
Clippers receive: Nicolas Claxton, Anfernee Simons
Nets receive: John Collins, Chris Boucher, 2026 first-round pick (via BOS), 2026 first-round pick (if 5-30, via PHI, from OKC), 2031 first-round pick (via LAC)
From the Thunder’s perspective, this deal would accomplish two major goals: Maintaining their depth at the center position and also shedding some salary off the books next year.
Zubac’s contract is much smaller than Hartenstein’s, so they would shed around $9 million off next season’s books, as they could simply decline Brook Lopez’s team option for next year.
More moves may be needed to get to where they want to be from an apron standpoint, but this would be a solid start, and they would still have a top-tier big man to roll out down low.
For the Celtics, they get to move Anfernee Simons for a big man, in this case, Hartenstein, who would help them compete for a championship this season (and they could either pick up his team option and pay or come to terms on a new deal for next year).
The Clippers may not want to part ways with Zubac, but getting Nicolas Claxton would make them younger without losing the spark at the center spot.
He makes them more athletic, and having him at the five could even diversify their offense a bit while maintaining their lob-threat potential with James Harden. Plus, they’d get Simons, too, who they have reportedly shown interest in.
Finally, the Nets would get three firsts for Claxton (and taking on some contracts), which is a steal, but all teams involved would probably pay that price to get their end of the bargain.