3 easily acquirable centers the Washington Wizards should consider trading for
By Cem Yolbulan
Isaiah Hartenstein
The 25-year-old center has been one of the best big man off-the-bench in the last two seasons. First bursting onto the scene as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers, Hartenstein had another solid year with the New York Knicks last season, playing in all 82 games. He is a solid two-way player who can protect the rim defensively and make plays offensively.
Hartenstein doesn’t have a path to being a starter with the Knicks. He is behind Mitchell Robinson, a player the franchise drafted and coach Tom Thibodeau clearly loves. And neither player has the ability to play power forward. This means that Hartenstein can only play between 15-20 minutes per game if Robinson is healthy. He averaged 19.8 minutes per game last season.
This could mean that Hartenstein is gettable. He would play more minutes with the Wizards and have a bigger offensive role. He has a nice floater game, passing ability of the high post, and offensive rebound chops. He would add a different dimension to the Wizards offense.
His contract is expiring at the end of the 2023-24 season. The Wizards could re-sign him to a new contract or sign and trade him if it doesn’t work out. He is a worthy gamble who could do much better in an expanded role and have intriguing trade value for rebuilding Washington.