Spotrac’s Keith Smith mentioned in both his recent article and on a recent podcast that he thinks Oklahoma City Thunder guard Lu Dort could potentially get his $1.9 million team option declined so that the team could sign him onto a long-term deal without the risk of losing him as a restricted free agent.
“This guy is the key for declining and re-signing. You cannot — under any circumstances — let him hit unrestricted free agency. You’ll end up paying him way more money than you want to because some other team will jump in. Could one of the cap space teams throw an offer sheet at Lu Dort? Yeah, maybe but probably not so much of a one that the Thunder are really gonna blink at it. So yeah, he’ll be back. My guess is what we hear here is he gets his option declined, they make him a restricted free agent and then this is one of the earlier deals we find detail like: ‘Thunder and Lu Dort have agreed to four-years, $60 million contract,’ or something like that.”
Dort, who has blossomed into one of the team’s best players with his defense and willingness to shoot the ball, has outperformed his current contract and will look for a big payday either this summer or next summer.
During his exit interview, Thunder general manager Sam Presti said he wasn’t sweating on making contract decisions on guys like Dort and Darius Bazley as the team is looking at the team from a grand scheme of things perspective.
“That stuff is like ground cover compared to the things that — when you’re at the stage where we are, like you said, going into our second draft, we reposition the team financially on and off the floor, but the thing that really shapes everything in every sport is what are the rules that are governing the CBA essentially,” said Presti.
The Thunder will need to decide on Dort’s team option by June 29, six days after the 2022 NBA draft.
