Isaiah Hartenstein – the Cavaliers’ moderately intriguing backup center – could guarantee himself a salary ($1,762,796) above the minimum ($1,678,854) next season.
Instead, he’s rolling the dice with free agency.
Shams Charania of The Athletic:
Cavaliers center Isaiah Hartenstein has declined his $1.8 million player option for 2021-22 season and will become a free agent, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Hartenstein averaged 8.3 points and six rebounds to finish season in Cleveland.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 23, 2021
Cleveland can make Hartenstein a restricted free agent with a $2,025,705 qualifying offer. That’d be a nice raise, though Hartenstein is not a priority at the position.
Cavs starting center, Jarrett Allen, is entering restricted free agency. They also appear positioned to draft USC big Evan Mobley No. 3. Kevin Love might primarily belong at center at this point, though his situation has its own complexities.
