Isaiah Hartenstein has been rock-solid for the Oklahoma City Thunder amid their 3-0 lead over the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round. In fact, Hartenstein's been more than that. Following a near-double-double performance in Game 2, Hartenstein delivered another impactful outing in Game 3, tallying 12 points, nine rebounds, and leading OKC in plus/minus (+26).
Due to the inconsistency of Deandre Ayton, the Lakers' front office has every reason to be eyeing Hartenstein as a potential target this summer, depending on how OKC handles Hartenstein's $28.5 million team option.
Isaiah Hartenstein is the type of player the Lakers badly need
Hartenstein asserted his value in front of the entire NBA when he broke out with the New York Knicks, and he's only continued to reiterate that value as a member of the Thunder, helping OKC win a title last season and continuing his selfless production this year.
Hartenstein is the opposite type of player to Ayton. Whereas Ayton thinks of himself as an offensive threat who is entitled to touches (even on a team featuring Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves, and LeBron James!), Hartenstein just puts his head down and rebounds without asking for anything in return. He's also got a nice floater game that improves every year, but it's not like I-Hart needs plays run for him to use the floater. He often deftly employs it after offensive rebounds.
Hartenstein's 9.2 points and 9.4 rebounds per game this season for OKC came in 24.2 minutes per game. If he were playing starter-level minutes for the Lakers (let's say, 36 minutes), that production would look something like 13.7 points and 14.0 rebounds per game. Ayton scored a tad more per 36 minutes this year for LA (16.5 points), but he rebounded less (10.6 boards). The Lakers would prefer Hartenstein's production, especially because he comes with less drama and a team-first mentality.
Isaiah Hartenstein might not be available for the Lakers' taking
The Thunder might just end up picking up I-Hart's team option this summer, disappointing all of Hartenstein's potential suitors, most of all Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka.
But there's also a good chance that OKC will have to let Hartenstein walk, as they have a handful of other team options to consider, as well as a ton of committed salary to its three stars and role players like Alex Caruso and Isaiah Joe.
Lakers fans (and the team's brass) will be monitoring the Hartenstein situation from the moment the season ends.
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