Isaiah Hartenstein May Be Acquirable for the Clippers After OKC's Playoff Exit

The NBA Finals are set. After defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals, the San Antonio Spurs will face the New York Knicks for the title. With OKC's surprise exit, the league landscape is expected to change dramatically this summer. This could be of benefit to the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Thunder have the highest payroll in the NBA next season. They are projected to be over $28 million above the second apron. This means that the front office will face some pressure to make changes to the roster, both in terms of the tax bill and the way they match up against the Spurs.

With Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams beginning their big extensions, the Thunder have to get cheaper rotation players. Understandably, all eyes turn to Lu Dort and Isaiah Hartenstein, on whom OKC has team options of $18.2 million and $28.5 million for next season, respectively.

Ideal Clippers Target Isaiah Hartenstein May Now Be Available This Summer

Hartenstein's case is particularly interesting for the Clippers. LA is desperately looking for a starting center, and Hartenstein is a familiar face who would be an ideal fit.

The veteran center burst onto the scene as a Clipper in the 2021-22 season. His lone season in LA earned him a new contract with the Knicks, where he emerged as a quality starter in his position. He then moved to the OKC, won a championship last season, and played a huge role against Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs in the Conference Finals.

As valuable as Hartenstein is to Thunder's success, $28.5 million is a significant amount of money for an expensive team like OKC. Facing a financial cliff, the Thunder may feel like they can replace Hartenstein's production for much cheaper.

This could result in OKC turning down the team option for the 28-year-old center. The other alternative would be for them to exercise the option only to trade him afterwards.

The Clippers should be interested in both of these avenues. They could open up enough cap space this summer if they let Brook Lopez and Bogdan Bogdanovic walk. In this scenario, they could have enough room to sign Hartenstein while still retaining Bennedict Mathurin and John Collins.

In a potential trade scenario, the Clippers could do a sign-and-trade involving Mathurin or Collins. Derrick Jones Jr. and Kris Dunn could be other players the Thunder may have some interest in.

Hartenstein would provide the size, physicality, and rebounding the Clippers desperately need. He has very few weaknesses in his game, making him the perfect fit in LA. If he is made available, expect the Clippers to aggressively pursue a reunion.