The Oklahoma City Thunder remain in an as enviable of a roster-building position as ever. Even though the max contracts of Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams are going to be kicking into the Thunder's books, general manager Sam Presti has maneuvered his team's cap situation brilliantly that the luxury tax shouldn't be an issue for them next season even though their roster remains as stacked as ever.
But of course, this does not mean that the Thunder have no “problems” to navigate. Whether or not they'll be accepting Isaiah Hartenstein's player option worth $28.5 million is going to be a huge question that OKC needs to answer.
According to ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel, the Thunder are expected to decline that option, but he projects Hartenstein will be staying regardless.
“I expect them to decline that, but I also expect him to stay with the team,” Siegel said on the latest episode of Clutch Scoops. “I think there's gonna be a mutual understanding here — he got paid and he's gonna have to take less money now for him to stay with this team. Hartenstein loves being in Oklahoma City. I haven't heard anything in terms of them wanting to trade him.”
Article Continues Below
“I fully expect him to be there next year.”
Draft Lottery, Giannis Latest, LeBron Future | Clutch Scoops with @TomerAzarly and @BrettSiegelNBA https://t.co/tpZOoT6ihg
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 13, 2026
Hartenstein was one of the two pieces Presti brought in prior to the start of the 2024-25 season that allowed the Thunder to make the leap from good to great. OKC saw their 2024 playoff exit at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks as a lesson; they need a player of Hartenstein's caliber and skillset to avoid getting dominated on the glass like they were during that fateful playoff series loss.
It's not quite clear yet what figure will be acceptable for both Hartenstein and the Thunder, but both sides are in a mutually beneficial relationship as of the moment and it should only be a matter of time, as Siegel said, before these two sides come to an agreement.
The Oklahoma City Thunder remain in an as enviable of a roster-building position as ever. Even though the max contracts of Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams are going to be kicking into the Thunder's books, general manager Sam Presti has maneuvered his team's cap situation brilliantly that the luxury tax shouldn't be an issue for them next season even though their roster remains as stacked as ever.