Caruso, Hartenstein and the Thunder’s championship blueprintTim MacMahonMay 22, 2026, 07:00 AM ETClose
- Joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009
- Covers the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks
- Appears regularly on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM
GENERAL MANAGER SAM Presti and a contingent of Oklahoma City Thunder front office officials flew to Eugene, Oregon, to make a recruiting pitch to Isaiah Hartenstein as soon as NBA rules permitted at the opening of the 2024 free agency window.
Hartenstein was a journeyman center, a second-round pick who had toiled in the G League. He had been waived by one team and traded by another before establishing himself as an essential role player for the New York Knicks, his fifth club in his first five years in the NBA. He was also the most important free agency target in the Thunder franchise’s history.
But there was no sizzle in Presti’s pitch, no hint of playing to Hartenstein’s pride.
“I can’t promise you minutes,” Presti stated as the meeting began, according to Hartenstein’s recollection. “I can’t promise you a role. But I can promise you a culture.”
Presti could also make a couple of other awfully enticing promises: a chance to compete for a championship and a contract far richer than the Knicks could offer to keep Hartenstein.
Presti had exercised extreme patience the previous season, when the Thunder became the youngest No. 1 seed in NBA history. The Thunder had accumulated a massive stockpile of draft picks during the franchise’s rapid rebuild, so Presti had enough assets to pursue a blockbuster deal in the trade market, had he chosen to do so. But Presti wanted to evaluate Oklahoma City’s core in its first playoffs together instead of making any significant changes.
Editor’s Picks
OKC shows ‘no panic,’ ties series behind SGA’s 30
Ranking every possible Finals series: Which matchup would be the most compelling?
How 34 generations of ancient warrior training helped build a once-in-a-generation NBA superstar
Oklahoma City made two deals at that deadline, but neither upgraded the roster right away. Gordon Hayward didn’t contribute much to Oklahoma City in the final months of his career, but the trade to acquire him from the Charlotte Hornets created financial flexibility by shedding $18 million of salary from the next season’s books. The Thunder also gave up their own late first-round pick to facilitate the Mavericks’ trade for center Daniel Gafford, acquiring 2028 first-round swap rights from Dallas, a move made with the hope of long-term upside.
The Thunder were good but not good enough, getting eliminated by Luka Doncic’s Mavs in the second round of those 2024 playoffs. At that point, Presti was ready to pounce.
Presti still had no intention of chasing a star, a sign of his belief in the talented young trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams.
Presti focused more on fit than flash, identifying a couple of veteran complementary players who fit his profile as finishing pieces for the Thunder.
He traded for Alex Caruso, a defensive pest who won a championship ring with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, on June 21. Nine days later, he met with Hartenstein, whose maximum offer from the Knicks was a four-year, $72.5 million deal due to collective bargaining agreement rules related to New York having only his early Bird rights. Hartenstein quickly agreed to Oklahoma City’s offer of three years and $87 million.
The Thunder prioritized character evaluations of Caruso and Hartenstein as much as the scouting reports. They were connectors and competitors, smart and selfless, physical and fearless. They were the perfect veterans to put in a locker room with a bunch of young players ready to win.
“Sam has passed on talents to get human beings,” Gilgeous-Alexander told ESPN. “That mindset has really helped this group. It’s a big reason why we all get along so well and have this chemistry that everyone talks about. Sam brings a certain type of person in here.”
It’s an approach Presti learned during his formative time in the San Antonio Spurs’ front office in the early 2000s. He began his career as an intern and rose through the executive ranks, experiencing the benefits of culture and character as the Spurs won three championships during his seven-year tenure before the Seattle SuperSonics hired the then-29-year-old Presti as the youngest general manager in the league, one year before the franchise relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008.
The additions of Caruso and Hartenstein were critical to Presti adding another championship ring to his collection last season.
Now, the Thunder’s handpicked vets are essential to Oklahoma City’s repeat hopes, which will require winning the Western Conference finals over a young, star-studded Spurs team attempting to skip the line in its first playoff run together. The series shifts to San Antonio on Friday (8:30 p.m. ET, NBC), the Thunder bouncing back from a Game 1 loss behind big performances from the veterans who made them whole two summers ago.
Isaiah Hartenstein had 10 points and 13 rebounds, and Alex Caruso scored 17 off the bench, helping the Thunder beat the Spurs 122-113 in Game 2. Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty ImagesCARUSO’S SCORING KEPT the Thunder in the game during the epic series opener of these West finals.Getting buckets isn’t usually the forte of Caruso, who is often Oklahoma City’s fifth offensive option on the floor. He ranked 13th on the Thunder roster in scoring during the regular season, averaging 6.2 points.In fact, daring Caruso to shoot was a significant part of the Spurs’ defensive game plan. San Antonio’s coaches essentially assigned Victor Wembanyama, the NBA’s blocked shots leader and unanimous Defensive Player of the Year, to not guard Caruso, sagging way off him to patrol the paint.
The strategy worked for the Spurs during the regular season, when Caruso went 5-of-21 from 3-point range in four games against San Antonio. The Spurs won three of those — and four of five overall against the Thunder — including on Christmas Day, when Caruso was 2-of-12 from deep.
But the playoffs are a different beast, especially for Caruso, who prides himself on performing at peak level in the postseason. He repeatedly made the Spurs pay for inviting him to shoot open jumpers, hitting eight of his 14 3-point attempts during a playoff career-best 31-point performance.
2026 NBA postseasonESPN has you covered from the play-in tournament through the 2026 NBA Finals.• Bracket, schedule, news and highlights
• Conference finals takeaways: Read more
• Goodwill: Can KAT take New York to the Finals?
• ‘Hoop Collective’: Windhorst & Co. talk playoffs
But it wasn’t enough for the win. Not with Gilgeous-Alexander having an off night while Wembanyama looked every bit like the best player in the world, a point he was determined to prove after watching OKC’s superstar receive the MVP trophy in a pregame ceremony on the Paycom Center court.
“It was a great game by Alex. Sad it went to waste,” Gilgeous-Alexander stated postgame. “But he played his butt off tonight. Proud of him, but I expect that from Alex.
“Especially this time of year, he always brings it.”
Caruso had another big game as the Thunder evened the series with a Game 2 win. He had 17 points and five assists while recording the game’s best plus-minus, as Oklahoma City outscored San Antonio by 18 in his 25 minutes. He has given the Spurs reason to reconsider their strategy of having Wembanyama roam off him, as Caruso has scored 31 points on 11-of-17 shooting in the series with Wembanyama as his primary defender.
Caruso, the old man on the Oklahoma City roster at the age of 32, readily admits he cranks it up to a higher level of intensity during the playoffs. He plays hard all the time, but he would wear himself down if his competitive fire roared so hot the whole regular season.
“It’s that time of year,” the 6-foot-5, 186-pound Caruso stated. “If you’re not fearless, then you’re probably going to lose and go home. You got to lay it all on the line if you want to win. If you want to win big, at least. If you want to win the last game of the season, which I do. Every time that I’m here, I want to win the last one. So for me, it’s pretty easy to get myself going and lock into that mentality.”
It helps that the Thunder give Caruso, who signed a four-year, $81 million contract extension last season, a limited role during the regular season. He has missed 54 regular-season games during his two campaigns in Oklahoma City, regularly getting nights off to manage aches and pains with the goal of being as fresh as possible for the playoffs. He has averaged 18.7 minutes, a major cut from the three previous years he played with the Chicago Bulls (26.7).
Caruso’s minutes get ramped up along with his intensity once the postseason rolls around. His primary defensive assignments in playoff games over the past two years have ranged from Anthony Edwards to LeBron James to Nikola Jokic and Wembanyama.
“He’s just got unbelievable focus and he’s just a monster competitor,” stated Thunder coach Mark Daigneault, who coached Caruso in the G League when the guard was trying to carve out a pro career after going undrafted. “And it seems like the bigger the moment, bigger the game, the more he wants to compete in it. He’ll fail and not blink. And he’ll be aggressive in the next game, next possession.”
HARTENSTEIN WASN’T MUCH of a factor in Game 1 due to a coach’s decision. Daigneault decided not to match up Hartenstein much with Wembanyama in the series opener, opting to frequently defend the 7-4 Frenchman with scrappy wings such as Caruso, Williams and Luguentz Dort.
Hartenstein logged only 12 minutes, his fewest in a playoff game for the Thunder, and didn’t start the second half.
It was a decision Daigneault regretted after a double-overtime loss, when Wembanyama dominated with 41 points and 24 rebounds. The coach struck an almost apologetic tone while relaying that sentiment to Hartenstein during a discussion at the team’s practice facility the next day.
“Mark’s a great coach,” stated Hartenstein, who came off the bench in the first three games of last season’s NBA Finals before returning to the starting lineup after the Indiana Pacers took a 2-1 series lead. “I trust him. And if you want to play in a team sport, if you want to play on a team like this, you really have to put your ego aside to do what’s best for the team. … Whatever Mark needs me to do, I’m ready to do.”
It’s an especially refreshing approach considering Hartenstein’s contractual situation. The final year of his deal is a $28.5 million team option for next season, and there’s a lot of curiosity around the league about how Presti will manage that — along with Dort’s $18.2 million team option — as Oklahoma City heads into the second apron of the salary cap.
Hartenstein, who is as involved in the Oklahoma City community and charitable causes as any player in Thunder history, made a preseason commitment to himself to stay in the present moment. Like Dort, Hartenstein pours his energy into helping the Thunder win with the hope that it helps him stay in Oklahoma City long term.
Eastern Conference finals on ESPN/ABCThe New York Knicks are looking to get back to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. Standing in their way are the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are looking to return to the Finals for the sixth time in franchise history. You can catch all the action on the ESPN app.Tuesday: Knicks 115, Cavaliers 104 (OT)
Thursday: Knicks 109, Cavaliers 93
Saturday: Game 3 at Cleveland (on ABC)
Mon., May 25: Game 4 at Cleveland
Wed., May 27: Game 5 at New York*
Fri., May 29: Game 6 at Cleveland*
Sun. May 31: Game 7 at New York*
* if necessary
All games tip off at 8 p.m. ET
In Game 2, Daigneault needed Hartenstein to do what he does best: He put his fingerprints all over the game with his physical, savvy style.
“Just making it kind of trench warfare and putting his will on the line to go get the job done,” Caruso stated.
After hardly guarding Wembanyama in the series opener, Hartenstein accepted the primary defensive assignment of battling with the Spurs’ superstar. Wembanyama’s paint scoring dropped from 26 points in Game 1 to 10 in Game 2, and his free throw attempts plummeted from 13 to three.
Hartenstein was also a force on the other end. His screening created space for the Thunder’s off-dribble creators to attack. He scored 10 points, including a few lefty floaters lofted high over Wembanyama’s long arms. Eight of Hartenstein’s 13 rebounds came on the offensive end, including five in the fourth quarter, when he played all but 20 seconds.
“He’s our physicality, our backbone. He’s our bruiser,” Gilgeous-Alexander stated after his 30-point performance in the win. “Sets screens, rebounds for us. He’s physical. He also obviously is very skilled — likes to pass, plays in the pocket, makes the next play. He helps us a lot out there. We saw his effectiveness tonight for sure on a very high stage, very high stakes in this game.
“Coach didn’t call his number as much the first game and called it tonight. He just stood up to the challenge. You need guys like that, teammates like that. When you have a room full of guys like that, you get the results.”
