If the Oklahoma City Thunder want to avoid being a second-apron team next season, they will need to make some roster choices. Trading Lu Dort seems like an obvious move, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander may not want that to happen. As a result, certain Thunder players could be on the chopping block, and Jaylin Williams may be one of them.
Williams has played well for the Thunder. He’s almost underrated at this point. But the Thunder have Chet Holmgren. They may look to restructure Isaiah Hartenstein’s contract this summer. And they also have Brendan Carlson and Thomas Sorber just waiting on the end of the bench.
So, if the Thunder want to cut some money, trading Williams could be one way for them to do so.
SGA wanting Lu Dort back could put Jaylin Williams in jeopardy
Dort is going to make a ton of money next season. He has a team option for $18.2 million this upcoming season. The Thunder could decline that and be well on their way to solving their financial woes.
But SGA loves Dort. And according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN, he’s going to make it clear that he loves playing with Dort. So, it doesn’t seem like Dort will be going anywhere anytime soon.
On top of that, Hartenstein also has a team option for next season. He will be owed $28.5 million if they pick it up. So, it seems obvious for them to decline it and rework his deal.
But even if they bring Hartenstein and Dort back for half the costs, the Thunder will still be riding the line of being a second-apron team. And if either Dort or Hartenstein wants more money than that, the Thunder’s cap woes would be even worse.
Either way, it seems like the Thunder may want to trade one more player on a mid-tier contract to get fully under the second apron. And Williams seems like a potential option.
Williams is great. He played a big role for the Thunder in the playoffs. But OKC has plenty of big-man depth. And their top two centers are both great. Capable of playing heavy minutes.
Plus, the Thunder could probably get decent value back in return for Williams on the trade block. He’s a quality rotation player who plenty of teams around the NBA would want.
And if SGA is hell-bent on keeping Dort around in OKC, then someone else will probably have to go. Williams may be one of the guys who could potentially get moved.
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