It might feel like months ago that the Los Angeles Lakers were made quick work of by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the conference semifinals, while that’s not quite the case, it has indeed been 20 days. On Saturday, OKC came up short in its quest to defend its 2025 championship, but and now is facing an offseason pocked with questions about the future of the roster.
Make no mistake, the Thunder are well set up going forward, starting with back-to-back MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a young cast around him, backed by a slew of draft picks. But things are getting expensive as OKC’s young players graduate into bigger contracts, and the Thunder will need to address a continuing ballooning of the payroll. That means they’ll need to shed salaries, and teams with cap space are the best targets to do so.
The Bulls have cap space this summer. As do the Brooklyn Nets. And … the Los Angeles Lakers. And if there is one Thunder player to keep a watch on for the Lakers, it is the guy who could very quickly change the Lakers’ defensive tone: 27-year-old wing Lu Dort.
Lakers an Ideal Fit for Lu Dort
That’s the view of one Western Conference executive after the conference finals. As he told Heavy Sports, “I think if you’re the Lakers, you want to be front and center on some of those guys. Lu Dort is the guy who could just come in and change your entire perimeter defense. He’s a must-have if they can get him. That’s been a problem for them for so long. But if you have Luka (Doncic) you need 3-and-D guys and he’s on another level.”
The Lakers do have cap space, and while there has been speculation that they’re planning on making pitches for major stars, the more likely scenario is that the team keeps a good chunk of its core together and seeks to beef up the role players. Dort is no household name, but he could have a major impact in L.A.
Lu Dort Coming Off a Bad Shooting Season
The Lakers could acquire Dort through a trade with OKC if the Thunder pick up his $18 million option. But the Thunder could simply decline his option, which would allow the Lakers to sign him in free agency. That might work out well for the Lakers, because Dort is coming off a bad shooting year (38.5% from the field and 34.4% from the 3-point line) and could land in the mid-level exception range ($15 million per year).
Considering his elite-level, very physical brand of defense, the Lakers would be less concerned about Dort’s shooting–this is not a team that struggles to score when everyone is healthy. If Dort were to come to L.A., play his usual defense and shoot around his career average (40.5% from the field, 35.8% from the 3-point line), that’d be a win for the Lakers.
Lakers Have Other OKC Targets
There are other possible Lakers targets on the Thunder roster, too. Aaron Wiggins would be a sensible fit and affordable at $9 million for next year. Isaiah Joe ($11.3 million next year) can be had, and he’s a 40.3% 3-point shooter in his career.
As the exec said of the Thunder, “It’s like they are their own free-agency bubble unto themselves. Everyone is waiting to get one of their players.”
Including the Lakers.
Lakers Could Pursue Deal for ‘Must-Have’ Thunder Wing: NBA Exec