If the Oklahoma City Thunder really want to get below the second apron this summer, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander better hope they get the Lu Dort situation right. Dort will likely be at the center of the Thunder’s potential financial decisions, as he has a huge team option. Isaiah Hartenstein does, too, but there have already been rumblings that he’ll be back in OKC.
Dort, on the other hand, could still have some question marks surrounding him. Obviously, there was the report that SGA wants the Thunder to keep Dort around because he loves having him as a teammate, but that type of thing only goes so far. The Thunder still need to nail the Dort decision.
And if they don’t, they could end up having to trade other depth pieces.
SGA needs Thunder to handle Lu Dort situation well
Should the Thunder decide to pick up Dort’s team option for next season, he will be making $18.2 million. However, the Thunder could be roughly $28 million above the second apron next season.
Perhaps the Thunder will be willing to pay that money, but based on all the rumblings coming out of OKC, that seems unlikely. They will probably look to make money this summer.
Declining Hartenstein’s team option and restructuring his contract will definitely help them. And the Thunder could do the same with Dort, but his deal could be a bit trickier to figure out.
Even if they cut Hartenstein’s deal in half, the Thunder would still have roughly $14 million to shed. If they cut Dort’s deal in half, that number would go down to around $5 million.
However, the Dort decision is the most important, because it feels like they could cut his contract down even more. If they don’t, they may have to trade someone.
Since Hartenstein’s reported return has already been well-documented, that makes Dort the most important, unknown decision the Thunder have to make. They need to handle his contract well.
If they fail to do so, they could end up trading other pieces on the roster, and if they trade the wrong guys or bring the wrong players back, then SGA’s title window could be affected.
Let’s say Dort wants to get paid still, and the Thunder oblige. Then, they could trade more valuable pieces, which could hurt SGA’s future title chances, especially in the stacked Western Conference.
SGA needs the Thunder to handle the Dort situation well, because if they don’t, it could seriously affect their future.
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