The Thunder didn’t just survive a busy summer - they may have landed one of the sharpest bargains in the league.
While Oklahoma City moved through a long list of significant roster decisions, the move that’s drawing the most praise is the one that kept Isaiah Hartenstein in town. ESPN’s Zach Kram called it “one of the best of the offseason,” and it’s easy to see why. Hartenstein agreed at the start of the summer to a new $75 million deal that runs through the 2028-29 season, a number that looks even better when stacked against what centers are making elsewhere around the NBA.
That outcome wasn’t always expected. For much of the season, it looked like the Thunder and Hartenstein might be headed for a split, especially with Oklahoma City dealing with financial pressure and adding 7-footer Aday Mara in June’s lottery. But instead of becoming a casualty of the second apron, the 28-year-old stuck around on a three-year extension that Kram viewed as a bargain compared with “the high-priced contracts for other centers” around the league.
Hartenstein, for his part, has made it clear he was willing to give a little to stay put. He said he “was aware of my market value,” but also admitted that to remain with the Thunder, “I had to accept a slightly lower salary.”
That tradeoff shows up in the numbers. His $25 million average annual value sits below the annual figures of players such as Walker Kessler ($32.36M) and Myles Turner ($27.21M), which makes the deal look even lighter for a player who has already proven he can help a contender.
Still, Hartenstein doesn’t sound bothered by leaving money on the table. He said he “really wanted to stay with this team for the long term,” and pointed to Oklahoma City as the place that gives him the best chance to “continue playing for a title contender.”
He also said the second apron made it something he “had to accept for the sake of the team.” Even with the lower number, he called the contract “still a lot of money” and said he’s excited to keep chasing dynasty status with the Thunder.
The fit has been strong since he arrived in Oklahoma City in the summer of 2024. In each season since then, the Thunder have finished with the best record in the league, reached at least the conference finals, and won their first NBA Finals in 2025. Hartenstein has been a steady part of that run, averaging 10.3 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, while coming up just short of a block a night and posting an elite defensive rating of 103 per 100 possessions.
For a team that has already reached the top of the league, keeping that kind of production at a below-market rate is the sort of move that matters.
In Other News...
Chet Holmgren Just Gave Thunder Fans A Needed Reason To Believe
Chet Holmgrens summer has offered the kind of low-stakes but still revealing glimpse Thunder fans tend to latch onto this time of year. The big man has been taking part in NBPA-sanctioned PLYRS UNTD runs, working against and alongside other NBA players in a setting built more for skill work than headlines, and the early takeaway is that his offensive bag is still very much part of the conversation. For Oklahoma City, that matters because Holmgren already established himself as a breakout piece, but the next step is finding more consistent scoring to go with everything else he brings.
There is a reason the optimism around Holmgren comes with a little edge to it. His talent has never been the question, but the playoffs have a way of sharpening the scrutiny, and his performance in the Western Conference Finals left plenty of room for debate about how much more he can deliver when the stage gets bigger. If these summer runs are any indication, the Thunder are hoping he can answer some of that skepticism by turning offseason flashes into something far more reliable once the games count again. [Read more 🡒]
Westbrooks Farewell Just Hit Thunder Fans Right In The Heart
Russell Westbrooks run through the league ended after an 18-year NBA career, with his final stop coming in Sacramento. For Thunder fans, the news lands with extra weight because Westbrook is still so tightly tied to the rise of Oklahoma City basketball, a player whose energy and edge helped define an era even as the league moved on around him.
The outpouring was immediate, including a social-media farewell from DeMar DeRozan, who shared the Kings locker room with Westbrook last season before moving on to Denver on a one-year deal. DeRozan is expected to fill a Sixth Man role with the Nuggets, but for the moment the attention is on Westbrooks exit and the kind of respect he continues to command from peers across the NBA. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Suddenly Have A Young Rotation Battle Fans Should Watch
The Thunder are headed into a familiar kind of summer competition, only this time the opening is coming from the other end of the roster. With key rotation minutes suddenly available after the offseason departures of Lu Dort, Isaiah Joe, and Aaron Wiggins, Oklahoma City is expected to lean more heavily on rookies and other inexperienced players as it sorts out who can handle a larger role.
That puts names like Nikola Topic, Thomas Sorber, Aday Mara, and Bennett Stirtz squarely in the mix, and the intrigue is less about who makes the team than who can actually force his way into the nightly plans. Stirtz is the one to watch as a possible surprise, especially with the Thunder looking for more perimeter scoring and his college shooting profile suggesting there may be a path for him to matter sooner than expected. [Read more 🡒]