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The OKC Thunder picked up its $17.7 million team option on Lu Dort for the upcoming NBA season. ESPN's Shams Charania first reported the news.
Monday marked the deadline for decisions on team and player options around the NBA. Teams may then begin negotiating contracts with upcoming free agents at 5 p.m. CT Tuesday. Deals can be signed at 11:01 a.m. on Monday, July 6.
Dort has spent his entire pro career with OKC since going undrafted in 2019. He has developed into an All-Defensive first team guard, and he has started in all but nine of his 486 games.
Dort averaged 8.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 26.8 minutes this past season. He shot a career-low 38.5% from the field (34.4% from deep), but he still embodied the unselfish and physical play that OKC is known for.
OKC also re-signed Isaiah Hartenstein to a three-year, $75 million contract on Friday. By doing that and picking up Dort's option, the Thunder has become a second-apron team. Still, it was able to reduce its luxury tax bill by $165 million this summer by trading away Aaron Wiggins (Atlanta) and Isaiah Joe (Detroit) for two second-round picks apiece.
OKC then declined its $7.2 million team option on Kenrich Williams on Monday, which saved it another $49.9 million in luxury tax penalties. The Thunder could now try to bring Williams back, but even signing him to a veteran-minimum contract of $3.5 million would add $16.6 million to its tax bill.
REQUIRED READING: Will OKC Thunder bring back Lu Dort, Kenrich Williams? Examining team options
Justin Martinez covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder picks up Lu Dort's team option for 2026-27 NBA season
Continue reading...
Monday marked the deadline for decisions on team and player options around the NBA. Teams may then begin negotiating contracts with upcoming free agents at 5 p.m. CT Tuesday. Deals can be signed at 11:01 a.m. on Monday, July 6.
Dort has spent his entire pro career with OKC since going undrafted in 2019. He has developed into an All-Defensive first team guard, and he has started in all but nine of his 486 games.
Dort averaged 8.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 26.8 minutes this past season. He shot a career-low 38.5% from the field (34.4% from deep), but he still embodied the unselfish and physical play that OKC is known for.
OKC also re-signed Isaiah Hartenstein to a three-year, $75 million contract on Friday. By doing that and picking up Dort's option, the Thunder has become a second-apron team. Still, it was able to reduce its luxury tax bill by $165 million this summer by trading away Aaron Wiggins (Atlanta) and Isaiah Joe (Detroit) for two second-round picks apiece.
OKC then declined its $7.2 million team option on Kenrich Williams on Monday, which saved it another $49.9 million in luxury tax penalties. The Thunder could now try to bring Williams back, but even signing him to a veteran-minimum contract of $3.5 million would add $16.6 million to its tax bill.
REQUIRED READING: Will OKC Thunder bring back Lu Dort, Kenrich Williams? Examining team options
Justin Martinez covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder picks up Lu Dort's team option for 2026-27 NBA season
Continue reading...
