“Clippers Picked John Wall Over Me, I Got to Live With That!”: Former Kawhi Leonard Teammate Talks About His Snub in the Off-season

The only thing LIT about the Kawhi Leonard-less Los Angeles Clippers last season was how well their bench functioned. Considering every statistic, the second unit of the Clips, led by Luke Kennard, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Terrance Mann (Clippers’ LIT), was the best in the NBA.

But two of those three players are already out of the picture, with Hartenstein being the first casualty. The German-American big man had his career year last season and yet found himself second on the free-agent priority list behind John Wall.

The 7-footer who is now the backup center for the Knicks and is playing a big role in what they have been up to, talked about the unexpected trade that saw him leave LA for New York.

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Isaiah Hartenstein was heartbroken with Clippers choosing John Wall over him

Hartenstein was willing to take a mid-level exception from his previous employers. But he saw the $6.5 million he was going to get, was going to go to All-Star John Wall who was just bought out by the Houston Rockets.

Isaiah did not take time to see it actually happen and as soon as the free agency opened up, he signed with Knicks for a 2-year $16 million contract. A mil-and-a-half more than he was willing to take from the Clips.

“I think I was actually gonna come back, but I can’t take that big of a pay cut. So they picked John Wall over me and I got to live with that. I mean I was open to taking it, but I think I’m now in a good situation where the fans are great in New York,” Hartenstein said recently in an interview with CltuchPoints.

Also read: “Anything Kawhi Leonard Needs, I Have His Back!”: Russell Westbrook Talks About Clippers’ Teammate After Win Over Knicks

How did the Clips’ decision pan out?

A bitter-sweet story for the big man. He is now playing career-high minutes (19.3) with the Knicks, averaging 5 points, 6.5 rebounds, an assist, and 0.8 blocks per game.

The team is 40-30 following their latest win against the Lakers and looks good enough to get past the first round of the Playoffs this time.

Meanwhile, Kawhi Leonard’s side is 36-33, finding their ways in the West with the recent addition of Russell Westbrook, whom they got after giving John Wall up back to the Rockets just months after his arrival. The Rockets waived him three days later.

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