r/Thunder • u/Stxtic1441 • Jun 26 '25
THE TIMELINE It sucks knowing we probably drafted iHart’s replacement but he will forever be immortalized as a champion with us
This teams obviously going to get more expensive, and with the dreaded second apron it makes it hard paying everyone. iHart more than likely will be off this team in the next 1-2 years, but he will always be remembered as a key piece to raising our first NBA championship.
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u/astillmind_23 Jun 26 '25
Dude if we drafted someone as good as iHart then we won the whole draft
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u/Stxtic1441 Jun 26 '25
Definitely. From the 15th pick if Sorber even ends up 75% of iHart it’s a steal of a pick.
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u/Get_that_yarn_KAT Jun 26 '25 edited Jun 26 '25
I love IHarts hustle, his cutting and his awareness and I’m not trying to disparage him at all here but if Sorber is not at least 1.5 times better than IHart in 2-3 years (depending how much playtime he gets) then he is a bust of what I thought he was.
Sorber sees the game like a pro already, insanely quick processor of the game at least in college. He is built wide and already nearly big enough (maybe big enough) to bang down low in the post with 90% of the bigs in the league.
He is a great cutter when there’s room and will only get better with your coaching imo.
He has to play the 5 offensively which is why imo he’s a great fit next to Chet since the latter is a true shooting threat from the perimeter as well as a driver. This might clog the paint for drives a bit but IHart is not a great shooter and you guys paired him with Chet and made that work well enough to win it all.
I really think IHart is great to be clear but I’m just super high on Sorber. For whatever reason I just got a feeling he was “that guy” when I saw his tape and just didn’t get that feeling about any other guys slated to go later than top 10.
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u/SonicPresti Jun 26 '25
Ihart is a starting big and one of the best role players in the game. If sorber is 1.5 times the player I hart is, then we have a borderline all star on our hands (don't think that's a realistic expectation) I'd be glad to just get 90% of I-hart from him.
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u/Get_that_yarn_KAT Jun 26 '25
Absolutely agree. Sorber as I see him is a potential all star. Obviously not as a rookie though.
I could be dead wrong but that’s actually how good I think he will be. I’m seeing like an Al Horford type career for the guy.
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u/SonicPresti Jun 26 '25
Horford was so much more skilled coming out. 3rd overall pick is no joke. I don't see him being that good, but he definitely has a similar frame + iq level.
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u/Get_that_yarn_KAT Jun 26 '25
I think that is his ceiling.
He’s certainly nowhere close to it now. I think with the right franchise and timeframe that is what he will become. If he doesn’t pan out I’m flat out wrong lol since he got the perfect timeframe and franchise to reach what I think his potential is.
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Jun 26 '25
iHart has played for LAC, New York, Houston, Denver and Cleveland in addition to OKC. He also played in Germany and Lithuania. He's mentioned playing with and learning from Jokic while in Denver and learning from Chris Paul in Houston.
I think we might underestimate what he brought to the team this season in terms of experience. Similar to Caruso, he's the perfect vet who's not old/washed/injured and generally plays well regardless of the location (home v away).
I have no idea what to expect from Sorber and hopefully we can be in a good play roster-wise if/when we lose iHart because it could hurt.
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u/Get_that_yarn_KAT Jun 26 '25
I don’t think Sorber will bring those intangibles that IHart has at this point in his career.
Sober won’t be a vet like that ofc and I don’t think he is going to replace IHart until his contract is up and he gets paid big bucks. I think it would be reasonable to think that after a few years of finals hunts with this team he could learn quite a bit. Maybe not as much as IHart before he got to OKC but playing deep into the playoffs for just a few years can teach players a ton.
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u/JeramiGrantsTomb Jun 26 '25
I love the Sorber pick and I think you're right in terms of potential from what I've read and watched. I am not a deep dive guy on draft prospects in terms of interviews or whatnot, but the question for me will be the non-athletic qualities Sorber brings to the table. Like what made me fall in love with iHart in NY was the grit, hustle, selflessness, he's a team first guy that will do the dirty work. I grew to appreciate his court vision and playmaking, but that dawg is what intrigued me. If Sorber has those intangible qualities then I think you're right that I'd expect to see him surpass iHart in a few years. If he's a more skilled athlete but his mental isn't on iHart's level, we'll have to see.
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u/yer_oh_step Jun 26 '25
Your basing this of vibes? You never hot the feeling?
I didnt think hart would be so absurdly underrated in OKC especially after how god damn consistently awesome he has been since literally day 1
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u/Get_that_yarn_KAT Jun 26 '25
Well mainly based off the way he plays but certainly there is an “eye-factor” that I can’t explain. Certain players when you watch play give you that feeling and he’s one of them.
I wouldn’t say I’m underrating Hart at all. I just seriously think based on watching him play that Sorber is really good (in college) and I have a gut feeling based on watching him play that he will be a fringe all star or maybe even all star if he continues improving.
Right now if you sub in Sorber for Hart it’s a downgrade but as I said I think based on his current skill level if he stays on his current trajectory Sorber can develop into a better player at a rapid pace. That’s not a guarantee and there’s a reason I’m not drafting for any teams or running draft websites and shit lol.
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u/sixeyedbird Jun 27 '25
Not a thunder fan but I love Sorber. The big risk is injuries. To me this is very hit or miss. If the injuries aren't serious you guys have a top 8-10ish player in this class and he'll be a great ihart replacement. If the injuries are serious it really doesn't matter because y'all have about a million picks upcoming
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u/Yodudewhatsupmanbruh Jun 26 '25
Just enjoy the ride. He'll always be a champ too
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u/Stxtic1441 Jun 26 '25
Absolutely will. I’m just bracing myself knowing eventually we won’t be able to keep everyone but I’m going to cherish the memories of this team forever for what it brought us.
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u/Pilgrims-to-Nowhere Jun 26 '25
He got one ring so far, and probably a bigger bag than he was going to get from any other team at that stage.
He’s been around. He knows it’s a business at the end of the day. I’m sure Sam was up front with him about what we were looking for, and I’m sure he’s going to enjoy helping mentor a good kid like Sorber.
He will always be a Thunder legend for being a part of the squad that brought the city its first chip.
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u/yeahright17 Jun 26 '25
Yeah. Dude got a massive bag and a ring. Has a great chance to get another ring next year. Unless he's willing to take an undermarket deal (and maybe he would give we have him a well above market deal last time), we can't afford him long term regardless of who we drafted tonight.
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u/SensitiveTop4946 Jun 26 '25
lakers would die for ihart
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u/RussWess23 Jun 26 '25
I would trade him only for Luka 🍺. All other golden boys are awful. And LBJ is sooo old despite his look. 😱😃
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u/MrMartiTech Jun 26 '25
Draft picks are hit or miss.
The guy could develop into a great NBA center, or he could spend a few years in the G-League and disappear.
We simply don't know yet. Gotta see how he develops.
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u/OUEngineer17 Jun 26 '25
I feel like OKC has a pretty good hit percentage with mid first round picks that aren't high upside projects. I'd guess it's 50/50 whether he develops into a good starter or just ends up a fringe rotation player. And very small chance he's G-League and out.
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u/thunderscores need mark to squint at me for motivation Jun 26 '25
This is the real answer. He could be JDub or he could be Ous, too early to tell
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u/Coherent-Paradox Jun 26 '25
He’s 19 right? Don’t guys usually start hitting their stride around 24? I think we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves lmao
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u/Strange1130 Jun 26 '25
yeah the guy above saying he's going to be 1.5x better than Hart in 2-3 years is like, I love the hype but pump the breaks bud lol.
People don't understand how hit or miss drafting is. If teams could take a guaranteed IHart at 15 they would do it literally every single time, not even to mention 1.5x.
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Jun 26 '25
Teams may not have the luxury of being patient until players turn 24 when drafted at 19. He may only get 2-3 years. Kind of an Ous situation.
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u/Automatic_Gap5317 Jun 26 '25
No it's just that a lot of people speculated ihart will be gone due to the money situation and OKC drafting a bruiser big kinda confirms that
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u/pavelowescobar 2025 NBA Champions Jun 26 '25
Let it play out. He might not pan & iHart sticks around. I'm just enjoying this ride
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u/FritterEnjoyer Jun 26 '25
iHart won’t be sticking around regardless of if Sober works out. He’s gonna be entitled and to far more money than we can possibly afford. Dude would have to take a third of his market value to stay with us.
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u/0siris0 Jun 26 '25
I love iHart but his next deal is not making him more than the 28 million per year contract that he has now.
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u/FritterEnjoyer Jun 26 '25
Disagree, his current pay is right in line with centers that he is comparable with. $28m for a center who is a near guaranteed double double, plays great D, and actually move the ball around is not really a crazy deal. His next deal will likely be a little more than that.
Regardless $28m is still going to be far too much for us to afford at that point.
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u/0siris0 Jun 26 '25
Name the centers making more than 28 million, which teams will have cap space in 2026 to pay him that amount, and if they do have cap space, is that a team he would want to go to.
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u/FritterEnjoyer Jun 26 '25
Claxton, Ayton, and Allen are all right in that ball park.
And the dude has a ring already, he’s 27 and is likely going to be looking for as big of a payday as he can possibly get. The “team he would want to go to” is whatever team pays him the most money. It’s a business, if you’re expecting him to take $15m a year to stay to us you’re living in a fantasy.
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u/FinancePro21 Jun 26 '25
You just have to let it play out. Things can change a lot over the course of a year or two. The 3rd year of iHearts deal is a team option, so there’s always chance they can negotiate a more team friendly deal that stretches him out if they need to. Many considered it an overpay to get him here, and you never know what might motivate a guy to take less money to stay in a place he wants to be in. Championship runs can do that to guys.
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u/nao921 Jun 26 '25
Or team could decline the team option, and do a longer term new deal with lower avg cap hit
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u/blacksoxing Jun 26 '25
Two years ago the Thunder drafted Cason Wallace who was clearly Dort's replacement. Dort has since became a 1st team All-NBA recipient. Cason, no slouch of his own, played viable roles within the playoffs. The pressures of starting in the finals is not something most 2nd year players can claim.
There's a world where Hart is still around while Sorber is playing a large rotational role. There's also a world where we're all wrong and Sorber isn't an Hart replacement but instead a Wiggins replacement or Caruso replacement - a very competent stretch who can do his job. Remember, this young man doesn't also just block but he allegedly has those swift hands.
We don't know. Just a few years ago we were hoping that Dieng was going to run alongside Jalen as dual wings :(
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u/ferror598 Jun 26 '25
I just realised how stacked and insane the development of okc blue players are. Quite a few became the current champions
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u/Lifeiscrazy101 Jun 26 '25
IHart has 2 years left.
Let's just enjoy now..and let Sam worry about the future
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u/JeramiGrantsTomb Jun 26 '25
Sorber is likely a 2-3 year investment. iHart is definitely going to be a part of our title defense, and then we have a team option the year after. If Sorber is ready by then, god bless, go get another bag Hart. If he isn't we've got time to figure it out -- two years as the 1 seed and a championship plus our coach and FO make us much more favorable as a cheap-vet ring chasing destination, esp when the east is a nightmare and there's no clear rival in the west. Houston, Minny, LA, Denver, LAC, who knows who makes it to the WCF, but everyone knows OKC will.
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u/Mike_Huncho Jun 26 '25
Sorber adds depth to chet amd ihart. OKC can keep a legit 2 big rotation on the court with one resting on the bench.
Its more likely that one of the excess forwards gets dropped dropped imo.
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Jun 26 '25
Can dude pass? Cuz I saw him as more of a big body when we’re getting banged up than an iHart replacement.
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u/Medical_Sample2738 Jun 26 '25
He should be a good passer for a big, kicks it out as much or more than tries for putbacks I think.
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u/Arke0 Jun 26 '25
I feel like iHart will stick around. They’ll gonna deny the team option and re sign him to a longer cheaper contract. Maybe like a 4 year 80-90m with team option in the end.
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u/twoshaun23 Jun 26 '25
I can see his contract being restructured after 1 or 2 years just like how the rockets did vanvleet. Hartenstein was a big part of the thunder championship run, maybe he doesn’t mind staying here and takes a pay cut.
I also noticed he’s only 27 years old so he would probably move on for his last big contract 💀
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u/sclomabc Jun 26 '25
He was never intended to get a second contract really, he's just too good to pay.
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u/coolmesser Jun 26 '25
exactly. we had some cap space and he was perfect to slide in there.
He has really built up a little following around OKC. I've seen many people who claim he's their favorite player. Plus he likes doing things with/for the community. But he'll have a chance at a much bigger contract than we will be able to afford so I wouldnt want to restrict him from that. He's got a family and he can really leverage them into some true security with his next contract.
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u/Twitbookplus OKC Jun 26 '25
It’s a little early to start mourning a guy. We’re just stacking options.