Atlanta has Isaiah Hartenstein on its offseason radar. Getting him away from Oklahoma City is the difficult part.
The Hawks plan to make a run at Hartenstein if the Thunder decline his $28.5 million team option and he becomes an unrestricted free agent, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reported. Atlanta needs more depth at center and is exploring several ways to add it.
The draft provides two of those options. The Hawks own picks No. 8 and No. 23, which they can use on frontcourt prospects or put into a trade.
Hartenstein would give Atlanta a proven center instead of another developing player. He is 28 and has spent the past two seasons with Oklahoma City.
Atlanta was short on center depth this season, which is why the position is expected to be addressed one way or another. The No. 23 pick could also offer several big-man options near the end of the first round.
His option creates a possible path to free agency, but the Thunder are not expected to simply let him leave. The belief around the league is that Oklahoma City will decline the option and then sign Hartenstein to a longer contract with a smaller annual cap figure.
Hartenstein has expressed his desire to stay. After the Thunder's season ended, he said he loves the organization while adding that his future is largely in the team's hands.
The Hawks' interest is real but conditional. Unless contract talks between Hartenstein and Oklahoma City break down, Atlanta will likely have to find its center help elsewhere, whether through the draft, a trade or another free-agent target.
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