The question marks surrounding Lu Dort following his horrid playoff run seem to far exceed just those concerning his future with the OKC Thunder.
During a recent episode of the Game Theory Podcast, Sam Vecenie and Bryce Simon discussed what the veteran guard's next contract could look like, be it with Oklahoma City or another club looking for backcourt help.
To the aforementioned duo, the biggest influence on what his salary could look like is whether or not teams can trust him to shoot at "a real level," especially from deep.
If he can do this, Vecenie believes Dort is "probably worth [$20 million] a year." Of course, should his inconsistent splits of .385/.344 in the regular season and .366/.308 in the playoffs this year be seen as the norm moving forward, his worth will likely be viewed somewhere in the mid-level range, which, for a non-taxpayer team, would register in at around $15 to $16 million next season.
Taxpayers such as the Thunder, for instance, would only be allowed to offer just over $6.0 million.
While Dort has certainly shown flashes of consistent shooting from deep, as he sported a 39.4 and 41.2 percent clip when beyond the arc in 2023-24 and 2024-25, respectively, Simon strongly feels that his drop-off in efficiency during OKC's past two playoff runs will make it hard for any interested teams to shell out anywhere close to, say, "a three-year, $60 million deal."
It wasn't too long ago that people were throwing Dort's name in the conversation for one of the better three-and-D guard talents in the entire association. Now, following two highly inefficient postseasons, there's reason to believe that he may be considered closer to a mid-level player more than anything else.
Lackluster shooting from Lu Dort could bode well for Thunder
We may only be two weeks into Oklahoma City's offseason, but it's already well understood that superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wants Dort to remain out in the Sooner State moving forward.
For the vast majority of the campaign, it was widely believed that the Thunder would strongly consider severing ties with the All-Defensive guard's $17.7 million club option next season to cut down on their payroll and, in turn, inch closer to ducking under the dreaded second apron.
However, with the recent reveal of Gilgeous-Alexander's wishes, coupled with Dort's own admission of wanting to stay with the team, at least for the moment, the veteran's dismissal may not be all that imminent.
Frankly, if Vecenie and Simon are right and Dort is seen as closer to an MLE guy than a $20 million-per-year earner, it could bode well for Oklahoma City, as retaining his services may prove far less costly than they initially thought.
Regardless of the ongoing shooting slump, from his elite defense to overall leadership and culture-setting skills, at the right price, the Thunder should absolutely be open to retaining the services of Dort, especially if he's willing to take on a lesser role in the rotation.
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