The desire of the OKC Thunder to move on from Lu Dort this summer only should have increased following a string of truly abysmal showings during the club's ill-fated 2026 playoff run.
To FanSided's Michael Shearer, the feeling should be more than mutual.
In a recent piece discussing every major free agent's dream and nightmare landing spot, a return to the Sooner State fell into the latter camp for the veteran guard.
Citing Oklahoma City's stockpile of "perimeter defensive terrors" and "cost-controlled offensive artillery" that includes Cason Wallace, Ajay Mitchell, and Jared McCain, the roster is filled with ample wing talents who deserve more minutes within the rotation.
Every day these aforementioned ballers improve their on-court craft, it seems safe to say that the importance of keeping Dort for the Thunder's long-term success progressively declines.
The 27-year-old finds himself under team control heading into next season, as his $17.7 million payday is attached to a club option.
Because of this, there's still technically a chance Dort could still be found donning the blue, orange, and yellow threads in 2026-27, though, for OKC, the downside would be that they would almost certainly have to part ways with Isaiah Hartenstein to duck under the second apron, while the downside for Dort would be that a diminished role in Mark Daigneault's scheme is a virtual lock.
All things considered, it seems that a clean break should be strongly coveted by both sides.
Thunder guard would have no shortage of teams to choose from
Should the Thunder decline his option, Dort would head into the summer as an unrestricted free agent. Of course, OKC might not be too keen on letting the All-Defensive guard walk for nothing, which, in turn, could sway them to look toward the trade market in exchange for more future draft capital.
Either way, in the event that Dort is looking for a new place to call home, it's safe to say that he'll have no shortage of prospective buyers.
In his piece, Shearer specifically listed the LA Clippers as a "dream" landing spot for the veteran, who he described as a "strong team in need of his 3-and-D skills."
Heavy Sports' Dean Deveney recently revealed that an anonymous Western Conference executive told him Dort is considered a "must-have" target for the Lakers to help fix up their perimeter defense issues.
Still only coming off his seventh season in the association, Dort has proven to be a savvy leader and an elite defensive talent who, as Shearer correctly stated, significantly influenced the creation of the current "Thunder culture."
There's no doubt that almost any team looking to vie for championship contention come next season would love to have his services in tow.
Unfortunately, at this point, the Thunder seem to be the outlier.
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