It’s difficult to watch the Western Conference Finals and not feel like the Boston Celtics have work to do before they’re on the level of the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs. These first two matchups have been unbelievable from a viewing standpoint, but a bit jarring from a “man, I hope the Celtics can compete with these guys” point of view.
Game 1 reminded us all that Boston, as well as 28 other teams, will have a seven-foot-four-inch Victor Wembanyama problem for the foreseeable future. At just 22 years old, Wemby is a game-breaking player. The only way to hold any hope of winning an NBA championship while he’s in the league is by finding someone who can limit his impact.
Game 2 showed that there is some hope of slowing down the Spurs big man (if you’d consider 24 points, 17 rebounds, six assists, and four blocks on 50% from the field “slowed down) if you have the right personnel.
How can the Celtics land Isaiah Hartenstein?
Fortunately for the Celtics, there’s a pathway for them to land said personnel this summer. Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein gave Wemby a hard time, particularly in the fourth quarter. The French behemouth scored just four points on 2-7 from the field as Hartenstein's physical play wore him down.
OKC's starting center could become a free agent this summer, and the Celtics would be foolish not to do their due diligence.
His contract included a $28.5 million player option for next season -- a season where OKC is projected to exceed the league’s second-apron threshold by… $28.57 million.
There are a few pathways that the Thunder could take. They could, first, decline the team-option and let Hartenstein hit the open market.
In this case, there’s a chance that the Cs could use their $15 million mid-level exception to try and land the big man, but it’s tough to tell if that’d be enough to separate them from other potential suitors. Boston is just one of 25 teams that are projected to have the full MLE available to them this summer.
There’s been no indication as to what sort of money Hartenstein is expected to command as a free agent, but if he’d sign for the MLE, then there’d be plenty of competition in the market.
He averaged 9.2 points and 9.4 rebounds per game this season while shooting 62.2% from the field in 47 appearances for the Thunder.
Teams will be interested.
Now, the Thunder could very well decide that they can’t afford to bring Hartenstein back, but would still like to avoid losing him for nothing. This is where the Celtics have a leg up on the competition. Boston created a $27.7 million traded-player exception when they traded Anfernee Simons for Nikola Vucevic at February’s trade deadline.
If OKC elected to waive Hartenstein's team-option, then they could organize a sign-and-trade with Boston where the Cs could absorb a newly structured contract (as long as it’s below $27.7 million next season) into the TPE, and perhaps send some second rounders to the Thunder as compensation.
OKC could also decide that Hartenstein is too important to them, and find other ways to cut costs. Veteran guard Luguentz Dort also has a team-option next season. His is only worth $18.2 million, though. For the Thunder to successfully retain Hartenstein and avoid the second apron, they’d have to decline both options, and re-sign the big man for $18.2 million or less.
There are many factors in play, as you can see.
How does Isaiah Hartenstein help the Celtics?
In the hypothetical world where Hartenstein lands with the Celtics, he’d be a huge get. The 28-year-old is a hard-nosed center who is going to give everything he has on a nightly basis. He’s a pain to play against, which tells you how fun it’d be to watch him in green.
Hartenstein’s nose for the offensive glass is real. He averaged 3.2 offensive rebounds per game this season, and had a real impact in that area in OKC’s Game 2 win Wednesday. The seven-footer created five extra chances for the Thunder in the fourth quarter alone, as part of a 10-point, 13-rebound performance.
Adding him to the Celtics, fifth-best second chance team in the league, would supercharge their ability to capitalize on offensive boards. Hartenstein’s screening ability can’t be ignored, either. Setting solid picks is one of the best ways to make an impact in Boston (see Luke Kornet).
No. 55’s physical play wore down Wemby to help the Thunder even the series and would be a welcome ingredient at the Auerbach center in the future. He and Neemias Queta could be a great one-two-punch front court, with Luka Garza looming large as a rotation piece.
At this point, Hartenstein finding his way to Boston feels far from likely, but it’s too soon to write off any possibilities.
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