The Thunder could’ve had Luguentz Dort for a $1,930,681 minimum salary next season. Instead, they declined his team option.
In order to pay him a whopping $87.5 million over the next five years.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
Free agent G Lu Dort has agreed to a five-year, $87.5M deal to stay with the Oklahoma City Thunder, his agent Thad Foucher of Wasserman tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2022
Considering the source – Dort’s agent – this is probably the most player-friendly framing of the deal. That $87.5 million could include incentives Dort won’t necessarily reach or other unreported terms in the team’s favor.
But it’s hard not to see this deal as shockingly large. Especially because Oklahoma City should have gotten a discount in exchange for letting Dort get a raise a year early.
Undrafted in 2019, Dort began with the Thunder on a two-way contract. He impressed with his hard-nosed defense and has gradually taken on more of a scoring load. Two-way wings are in high demand.
Clearly.
