Now that Dec. 15 has come and gone, players that signed in free agency are eligible to be traded with the deadline less than two months away on Feb. 9.
The New York Knicks are still without a star after not trading for Donovan Mitchell over the summer and are expected to offload a few veterans before February. Derrick Rose and Evan Fournier are the two biggest names that come to mind, although the latter will be difficult to deal because of his contract.
However, there’s another Knicks veteran that could be traded, and that is Isaiah Hartenstein. The 24-year-old signed a two-year, $16 million deal with New York as a free agent. There hasn’t been any reported trade chatter surrounding Hartenstein, but HoopsHype’s Yossi Gozlan said that the Knicks may decide to deal the center due to his “movable and team-friendly contract.”
Trading Hartenstein shouldn’t be New York’s priority, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea for the front office to explore what the Knicks could get in return.
3 reasons Knicks should consider trading center Isaiah Hartenstein
3: Tom Thibodeau doesn’t utilize him correctly
If Isaiah Hartenstein is going to be suiting up for the Knicks, it’d be nice to get to see Tom Thibodeau utilize his strengths. That has yet to happen and it probably won’t happen as long as Thibs is in charge.
Only Hartenstein can be blamed for his poor defense, but still, Thibodeau should be held accountable for the way in which he’s used the center. Knicks fans know that Hartenstein can score, namely with his floater game, but he’s also a good passer. It should be noted that Hartenstein spent time in Denver with Nikola Jokic, who is a freakishly good passer. Those aren’t things that Thibodeau wants to tap into, though.
Instead, Thibs wants to see his centers be rim protectors, which isn’t Hartenstein’s strong suit. The 24-year-old signed with New York after having an impressive season in LA, but the reason for that is the Clippers played to Hartenstein’s offensive strengths when he was in the game.
Is the front office content with watching Thibodeau try to put Hartenstein in a box that he doesn’t belong in? If that’s the case, then the Knicks should make him available in trade talks.