The decision to prioritize John Wall over Isaiah Hartenstein in 2022 lives rent-free in the minds of LA Clippers fans worldwide. It was one of those mistakes they had no business making that aged terribly within the span of a few months. Still, four years later, it has an awful outlook from the Clippers’ side of things, as Hartenstein is dominating for the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are two games away from a first-round sweep against the Phoenix Suns.
In the 2026 playoffs, Hartenstein is averaging 8.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.5 blocks, shooting 70% from the field in 21 minutes per game.
That is a borderline double-double on absurd efficiency while being on the court for less than half of the game.
So, yes, it’s safe to say the Clippers have every reason to sit back and regret not re-signing Hartenstein.
Not bringing Hartenstein back was one of the Clippers’ greatest mistakes
Isaiah Hartenstein was the perfect piece to hold on to long-term when he was an LA Clipper. He did absolutely everything a coach could want, from the little things offensively to getting back on defense, and even grew some real estate on opposing scouting reports with an extremely effective floater.
The aspect of Hartenstein that many fans may not recall is that he was just 23 years old with the Clippers.
Lawrence Frank could’ve had his backup center for the future, who wanted to return, on a team-friendly contract. But no, Paul George wanted John Wall, so what did the front office do? They listened and put George’s desires over what was best for the franchise.
Had the experiment with signing Wall gone well and produced something, the Clippers letting go of Hartenstein wouldn’t have such a bad narrative.
However, Wall did nothing for the Clippers. He was slow, inefficient, and unplayable, which led to a quick trade.
Hartenstein, on the other hand, stacked up some experience with the New York Knicks, made his way to the Oklahoma City Thunder, won a ring, and is in position to go back-to-back.
Though the outcome of events certainly worked out for him, the Clippers’ decision to neglect the seven-year vet is, without a doubt, one of, if not the worst, in team history.
There aren’t too many others that have panned out worse, with the exception of the horrific trade that sent Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to the Thunder.
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