Sunday, the OKC Thunder opted to put an end to Lu Dort's tenure out in the Sooner State, shipping him out to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for three future second-round picks.
While the move has been lauded for officially pushing Oklahoma City below the dreaded second-apron threshold ahead of next season, it has also subsequently ushered in a new era for the club's two spot, as the trade clearly signals that Cason Wallace is now the future of the position.
Though there may technically be a battle for the starting shooting guard role during training camp, as the position is chock-full of tremendous players such as Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain, it's safe to say this is Wallace's title to lose.
Thunder looking to Cason Wallace as future of shooting guard spot
Not only is he the most tenured of all the possible Dort successors on the roster, but he's also the most accomplished.
Throughout his three seasons of action, Wallace has established himself as one of the game's most promising young two-way studs, what with his steady shooting stroke (37.4 career three-point shooter) and All-Defensive earning efforts on the less glamorous side of the ball.
Last season proved to be the Kentucky product's best in the pros, as he not only was named to the All-Defensive Second Team and finished seventh in DPOY voting, but also dropped career-best averages of 8.6 points, 2.6 assists, and 1.9 steals per night and went a whopping 49-9 when slotted into the first five lineup.
All things considered, the 22-year-old is unequivocally the best choice coach Mark Daigneault has to thrust into the starting backcourt alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and, fortunately, it's likely that this configuration will be set in place for the many years to come.
Despite things being relatively quiet on the contract extension front this summer, with the departure of Dort, the Thunder are now seemingly sending the message to Wallace that it's officially his time to prove himself as the long-term solution to the starting shooting guard spot
Whether they wish to lock him down this summer or wait for him to show his true worth in this new role in the rotation this coming campaign, the expectation should be that, sooner or later, Wallace will end up putting pen to paper on a brand new deal that will keep him donning the Thunder blue threads for the foreseeable future.
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