iHart Breaking

How will the Knicks pivot after losing their pivot?

When, less than 30 minutes after the start of free agency, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that the Thunder's top brass was flying out to meet with Isaiah Hartenstein in his hometown of Eugene, Oregon, Knicks fans were\ bummed out. OKC, armed with north of $30 million cap space and in need of a big, had long been rumored as the biggest threat to steal Hartenstein.

Plenty of New Yorkers were preparing for a subsequent tweet from Shams or Wojnarowski stating that the Thunder had inked the versatile center to a multi-year contract. But that Woj Bomb didn't detonate last night, as OKC left Oregon without a deal being ironed out. And when fans woke up this morning, and Hartenstein still hadn't put pen to paper, there was increased optimism among the Orange and Blue faithful. 

However, at around 10:30 a.m., Shams and Woj delivered the devastating news. After two terrific seasons in NYC, iHart was on his way to OKC. Hartenstein and the Thunder agreed on a three-year contract worth a whopping $87 million. 

If it makes New Yorkers feel any better, this was an absolute no-brainer for Hartenstein. Because they only held his Early Bird Rights, the most the Knicks could offer was $72.5 million over four years, or roughly $18.1 million annually. IHart will take home $29 million annually in his new deal with Oklahoma City. 

Still, according to SNY's Ian Begley, Hartenstein struggled with the decision. "The Knicks did everything they could to keep Hartenstein and made the decision 'so hard' for him, per people familiar with the matter," per Begley. "It was not an obvious decision for Hartenstein, even at the salary OKC was offering."

Make no mistake; this is a significant blow to what was shaping up a dream offseason for the Knicks. Hartenstein was incredibly valuable to New York on both ends of the floor. Replacing their starting center will be difficult, especially considering the limitations they face due to the new collective bargaining agreement. 

So, how will New York proceed?