Knicks reportedly feel they’re in ‘good place’ to re-sign OG Anunoby, Isaiah Hartenstein | Sporting News

In what’s shaping up to be a big offseason for the New York Knicks, two of the top items on the agenda are re-signing OG Anunoby and Isaiah Hartenstein.

Hartenstein is set to hit unrestricted free agency while Anunoby has a player option that he is likely to turn down to hit unrestricted free agency.

Both players are going to garner lots of interest and command high contracts. Anunoby is one of the NBA’s elite 3-and-D players and proved in the playoffs that he’s one of the few players who can guard every position while still scoring 15-18 points per game.

Hartenstein, meanwhile, had a breakout season for the Knicks as he took over the starting center spot and showed a versatile, two-way game that was key for New York.

And though interest in both players is high, according to SNY’s Ian Begley, some members of the Knicks front office “felt earlier in the offseason that they were in a good place on both Anunoby and Hartenstein.”

Of course, Begley notes that it was “earlier in the offseason;” things can certainly change as free agency nears.

Re-signing Anunoby figures to be easier for the Knicks. New York can give Anunoby any amount and can even add a fifth year to a contract, if necessary. Given that the Knicks went 26-5 with Anunoby in the lineup and traded key young pieces in RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to get him, there is a belief that the Knicks will have to match any price to keep Anunoby (assuming he is willing to stay in New York).

Re-signing Hartenstein will be trickier for the Knicks. The Knicks only have Hartenstein’s Early Bird Rights and can only offer him a contract with first-year salary of $16.2 million, with a max of four years, $72.5 million.

Cap space teams can offer Hartenstein anything they want (up to the max), and there is a belief that Hartenstein could command a contract offer worth $80-100 million.

Unless Hartenstein’s market doesn’t play out as anticipated, the Knicks will have to hope that Hartenstein will view the Knicks as the best combination of money, role, and comfort and stay at a discount.

According to Begley, the Knicks are aware there will be “strong” interest in both players from other teams. But coming off a 50-win season, second-round playoff appearance, and a year that looked promising until injuries took their toll, the Knicks have good reason to think they are an attractive landing spot for both players.