3 Teams that could lure Isaiah Hartenstein away from Knicks with more money

The New York Knicks risk losing their starting center in free agency, as Isaiah Hartenstein will be an unrestricted free agent. He was instrumental in New York's success the past two seasons, which would make his departure sting that much more.

The Knicks have Hartenstein's Early Bird Rights, allowing them to go over the cap to re-sign them. However, it also means they're restricted in how much they can offer him. New York's best offer is four years, $72.5 million. The center has expressed his desire to stay with the Knicks, but he could be lured away by a team with a better offer.

3 teams who could offer Isaiah Hartenstein more money than Knicks in free agency

3. Detroit Pistons (projected to have $64.4 million in cap space)

The Pistons were the laughingstock in the NBA in 2023-24. They lost 28 straight games, setting the record for the most consecutive losses in league history. Detroit has already switched things up this offseason, naming Trajan Langdon as the President of Basketball Operations and parting ways with GM Troy Weaver.

Depending on the direction Langdon wants to take, the Pistons could throw a lot of money at Hartenstein, more than any other team could offer.

Jalen Duren has been Detroit's starting center for the past two seasons. He averaged 13.8 points and 11.6 rebounds per game in 2023-24. He was one of the only bright spots in an otherwise miserable year. It's hard to see the Pistons signing Hartenstein with the intention of Duren coming off the bench. Duren's only 20, and the potential he's already put on display has been impressive.

Detroit is still a landing spot for Hartenstein that is worth exploring, mainly because of its cap space. It'd be tough for I-Hart to pass on the amount of money the Pistons could offer. Is that something Langdon is willing to do? Or will he use the cap space instead to take on bad contracts in return for draft assets?