Getty Wendell Carter Jr. #34 of the Orlando Magic and the rest of the bench look on in the second quarter against the New York Knicks.
The Orlando Magic has been pegged as a team that could pursue the New York Knicks’ prized free-agent center Isaiah Hartenstein.
“The Orlando Magic is another team to monitor for Hartenstein, according to rival NBA executives who spoke with HoopsHype,” Hoopshype’s Michael Scotto reported on June 15.
The report came on the heels of uncertainty in the Magic frontcourt with only injury-prone starter Wendell Carter, Jr. under guaranteed contract following their breakthrough playoff appearance.
Carter’s chief backup Mo Wagner has a team option while third-string center Goga Bitadze is an unrestricted free agent.
According to ESPN’s front office insider Bobby Marks, the Magic are projected to have $32 million in cap room.
Isaiah Hartenstein Is More Dynamic, More Reliable Than Wendell Carter Jr.
While a table-setting point guard is the Magic’s most pressing need, there are no stars available in the market who would command big money.
Getting the reliable Hartenstein, who is the top center available in the market, could be an enticing proposition and then later flip Carter for a point guard.
The 25-year-old Hartenstein has only missed seven regular-season games over the past two seasons. In contrast, Carter, a former lottery pick, has only played more than 60 games once in his first six seasons in the league.
Hartenstein is a dynamic floor-spacing center, who can make plays from the top of the key, and open the driving lanes for the Magic’s dynamic duo of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner in the paint.
The 26-year-old Hartenstein is due for a massive payday after outplaying his two-year, $16 million deal he signed with the Knicks in 2022 free agency.
In 64 starts, including the playoffs this season, Hartenstein averaged 9.1 rebounds, 8.6 points, 3.2 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.2 blocks.
Hartenstein joined Anthony Davis and Victor Wembanyama as the only players with 85 blocks and 85 steals in a season. He became the first player since Moses Malone in 1982 to record 12 offensive rebounds and five assists in a playoff game, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Magic Can Easily Outbid Knicks But Also Face Competition
The Knicks are only limited to offering Hartenstein an annual salary of $16.2 million via his early Bird rights. The Magic, with a projected $32 million in cap space, per ESPN, could easily top that.
But the Magic and the Knicks are also expected to have a competition in this season’s Western Conference’s top seed Oklahoma City Thunder, another contender that has a massive cap room.
Bleacher Report’s salary cap expert Eric Pincus penciled the Thunder as Hartenstein’s likely landing spot in the free agency.
“The franchise will hit free agency with approximately $33 million in cap space, probably to add size that can play with or behind center Chet Holmgren,” Pincus wrote on June 14. “Pencil in Isaiah Hartenstein of the New York Knicks.
Hartenstein, 26, was a significant part of the Knicks’ postseason run as injuries decimated the team (Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, etc.). New York is limited to a starting offer of $16.2 million via his early Bird rights, an amount the Thunder can comfortably exceed.”
The Thunder’s interest in Hartenstein had been previously reported by Stefan Bondy of the New York Post and Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer.
“The Thunder is viewed by NBA sources as the top threat to pry Hartenstein away from the Knicks in free agency. After finishing atop the Western Conference with 57 wins in the regular season, Oklahoma City can make a stronger bid for Hartenstein than the Knicks,” Bondy wrote on June 10.
Fischer was first on that intel on May 31.
“So, which team could attempt to pry Hartenstein free?” Fischer wrote. “Oklahoma City has been the potential destination most mentioned by team executives after rebounding woes plagued the Thunder during their second-round defeat to the Mavericks.”