Things are good for the Oklahoma City Thunder. They just completed their second four-game sweep in as many rounds, and they're now slated to face off against either the Minnesota Timberwolves or the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals.
Even with Jalen Williams out, they've gotten consistent star-level production out of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, with Chet Holmgren, Ajay Mitchell, and even Jared McCain pitching in to round out their offensive attack.
But it must be remembered that these performances hold significance even beyond their bid for a repeat. With the extensions for Holmgren and Williams kicking in this offseason, there are multiple players fighting for their spot on the roster during this playoff run.
Most notably, Luguentz Dort has continued to be sidelined offensively. While most of his value does not come from his offensive contributions, it's becoming more and more clear that the Thunder's depth might force him out this offseason. He has a team option for $18 million lingering.
Given the way he's played all season and into the playoffs, it's difficult to justify picking that up.
Lu Dort has limited time left to make his case for why the Thunder should pick up his option this offseason
Dort's true value has never been expressed through his contributions on the offensive end of the court. It's the reason he's started every single playoff game.
But it's impossible to ignore the regression he's seen this season. Across 69 regular-season appearances, Dort averaged just 8.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists, shooting 34.4% from 3-point range. As the offense has crystallized in the playoffs, those numbers have dropped even further. Across eight playoff games, he's averaged 6.5 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists.
Granted, he's shot 37.5% from beyond the arc in the playoffs, so it's not all bad. But with the emergence of Cason Wallace this season as one of the league's top perimeter disruptors, Dort needs to do more than that to prove he belongs as a future starter for the Thunder.
Isaiah Hartenstein, for his part, has a team option this offseason worth $28 million. But throughout this playoff run, he's consistently made an impact on games in spite of his lack of an offensive workload. In Game 4 against the Los Angeles Lakers alone, he posted 10 rebounds, five assists, and three steals in just 28 minutes on the court.
Hartenstein has routinely proved his importance to Oklahoma City's gameplan. Dort hasn't.
The $10 million difference between Hartenstein and Dort's options could impact things. But no matter what, Dort has at most 14 games left to prove to the Thunder that he's ultimately an irreplaceable part of their rotation.
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