OKC Thunder mailbag: How should Lu Dort's possible contract extension be handled?
The Oklahoma City Thunder will enter the 2025-26 season with the hopes of being repeat NBA champions. They had one of the greatest seasons ever with a 68-14 regular-season record and captured the Larry O'Brien trophy.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren were all signed to new contract extensions this offseason. But what about another Thunder starter who is sneakily extension-eligible? With plenty of time to kill, Thunder Wire will conduct regular mailbags to answer questions that fans have.
One question being asked is if the Thunder should go four-for-four with big extensions this summer and sign Lu Dort to a new deal. There's no straightforward answer as OKC's payroll situation gets dicey after next season.
Dort has two years, $36.4 million left on his current deal. The second year is a 2026-27 team option for $18.2 million. Considering the 26-year-old had his best season yet as he finally earned All-Defensive Team honors and stepped up in the playoffs, he's being criminally underpaid.
That should change soon. If the Thunder feel confident enough about their payroll situation and comfortable with an expensive roster, they could go ahead and sign him this summer. But considering their recent history of decline-and-sign deals, they could wait until the next offseason to ink him to a long-term contract.
Considering what other top defenders make, Dort could get in the $20 million to $30 million salary range pretty easily. He could surpass that, too. As currently constructed, that would place the Thunder with quite an expensive payroll. Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and Holmgren are set to take up around 85% of OKC's cap space once the 2026-27 season starts. It'd be tough to pencil in another decent-sized salary before running into roster construction problems.
You also have to consider other contract situations with Dort. Isaiah Hartenstein has a $28.5 million team option for the 2026-27 season. Cason Wallace will be eligible for an extension next summer. Alex Caruso will start a four-year, $81.1 million extension this upcoming season.
It's a lot to tie up. The Thunder may need to decline Hartenstein's option anyway to avoid being punished with the first and second aprons. That doesn't even include the possibility of keeping Dort or Wallace. Just ballparking OKC's long-term cap sheet, it may be one or the other. Which is a tough decision to make. But if the Thunder hope to keep both, Caruso could be a trade candidate to make that possible.
Even though he's on the wrong side of the age curve, the 31-year-old has a tradeable contract that averages around $20 million per season. He should easily have a market. If the Thunder move on from him and let Hartenstein walk, that could signal their hope to keep Dort and Wallace.
I think the Thunder should do what they do best. Kick the can down the road. Make any long-term decisions on that group of four role players after next season. Dort has been a fixture since he arrived in 2019. He's been one of OKC's best gems ever as an undrafted rookie.
Who knows how the Thunder prioritizes their upcoming contract situations outside of their Big 3, but Dort would be worth the headache to keep on a new extension. He's that valuable on both ends of the floor and is still in his prime.
Extend Dort now or wait until next offseason before deciding what to do?What will happen with Dieng's contract? Salary dump him at the deadline and convert Barnhizer or Carlson to a standard deal? Trade Dieng for a win-now veteran?Will Chet's minutes be managed this reg szn?
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