Isaiah Hartenstein leaves Knicks, signs 3-year, $87 million deal with OKC Thunder

The Knicks can also use either the $6.8 million trade exception created in the Obi Toppin trade with the Indiana Pacers or the $5.2 million trade exception created in the RJ Barrett deal with the Toronto Raptors to acquire a player who is signed and traded by another team.

They have to do something, however, because Hartenstein’s departure leaves a gaping hole at the five and creates an immediate emergency in the event Robinson, who has played in just 31 games twice in the past four years, misses extended time due to injury.

The Knicks are rumored to have interest in Orlando Magic free agent center Goga Bitazde. They also drafted Ariel Hukporti with the 58th and final pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, and the seven-foot German-Togolese big man could be now be in play to make the trip to New York after initially being largely considered a draft-and-stash prospect.

Xavier Tillman could also be a prospect for the Knicks, and Tillman stepped up for the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals after Kristaps Porzingis suffered a season-ending injury in the championship round.

Tillman, however, is a center who is only listed as 6-foot-7. The Knicks need the replace the size and skill they lost with Hartenstein’s departure. They could also take a flier on James Wiseman, the former No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft who hit unrestricted free agency this summer after a number of underwhelming seasons first with the Golden State Warriors, then most recently with the Detroit Pistons.

What’s clear is the Knicks need to do something.

The Celtics play five-out with Porzingis and Al Horford stretched beyond the three-point line most of the game. The 76ers have Embiid, who dominated the Knicks in the first round. The Indiana Pacers deploy Myles Turner, who is also an aggressive three-point threat, and then there’s the Milwaukee Bucks, who space the floor with Brook Lopez but could shake things up with Antetokounmpo at the five.

It won’t be easy given their salary cap constraints, but the Knicks have a strong roster they hope can compete for a title. Thea team’s only shortcoming now is depth at the five, which the front office will address to give the franchise its best chance at a championship since they made it to the NBA Finals in 1999.

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