5 Knicks who could sign big-time contracts this summer to stay in New York

3. Isaiah Hartenstein

Isaiah Hartenstein could've played his last game in a Knicks uniform. If New York has anything to say about his future, he'll return in 2024-25. The 26-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent this summer since the two-year contract he signed in 2022 free agency is up.

He came to the Knicks as a backup for Mitchell Robinson but took over the starting center job this season when Robinson had ankle surgery in December. It was the perfect opportunity for him to up his value, and in return, he'll get a nice payday in less than two months.

New York has Hartenstein's Early Bird rights, meaning it could go over the salary cap to sign him. It also means there's a limit on how much the Knicks can offer. The max deal he can sign is four years, $72.5 million. Other teams with more cap space could offer him more money. The Thunder are a team to watch.

Even though Hartenstein could get more money from another team, a four-year, $72.5 million deal would be a big jump from the two-year, $16 million deal he signed in 2022. It'd be massive if the Knicks re-signed him.