The Los Angeles Lakers want to reinforce the wing position around superstar Luka Doncic and they are taking a hard look at Luguentz Dort of the Oklahoma City Thunder as a candidate to accomplish that.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported on Saturday, June 20 that sources around the NBA expect the Thunder to pick up its team option on Dort’s contract for the 2026-27 campaign and then shop him for draft capital in the coming weeks.
“Dort has a team option for $17.22 million for the upcoming season that several front [office] executives who spoke with HoopsHype are projecting the Thunder to exercise, then consider flipping Dort on the trade market,” Scotto wrote. “Should such a scenario happen, Dort has been linked with the Lakers and several other teams.”
Jake Fischer of the “Stein Line” confirmed the link between the Lakers and Dort with a report of his own, also on Saturday.
“I’m also told that the Lakers have called the Thunder about swingman Lu Dort’s availability,” Fischer wrote.
Lu Dort Has Perfect Game to Pair With Luka Doncic
GettyLuguentz Dort of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Dort is precisely the type of player who can fit alongside Doncic perfectly, particularly if the Lakers bring back Austin Reaves on a new contract this offseason.
Both Doncic and Reaves are at their best as on-ball creators, while Dort’s offensive game can function effectively as primarily a spot-up shooter.
His 3-point shooting dipped to 34.4 percent last season and was a problem for Oklahoma City in the team’s seven-game loss to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals. However, Dort is nearly 36 percent from deep on 5.6 attempts per game over the course of his seven-year career.
He is also a tenacious on-ball, finishing fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting two years ago and winning first-team All-Defense honors that same campaign, which ended in a championship for the Thunder.
Dort, 27, averaged 8.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 26.8 minutes per night across 69 games played last year.
Lu Dort Could Prove First Championship Building Block for Lakers Around Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves
GettyLuka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers are one of a handful of teams with the potential to eventually catch up to the Thunder and the Spurs from a personnel standpoint given the presence of Doncic on the roster, presumably for the longterm, as one of the best five players in the league.
However, Tim Bontemps of ESPN cautioned L.A. last week about trying to do so all at once in a single offseason, as any mistakes in target acquisition (adding the wrong player) or contract agreements (paying even the right player too much) could stymie the ascent necessary to render the Lakers true contenders at the top of a juggernaut Western Conference.
For instance, L.A. is also hunting a rim-running, rim-protecting center to pair with Doncic, which is something the superstar has expressly requested. That said, Dort is available now for the right price. So adding him, even if it means holding off for another year, or half of a year (trade deadline), on the big man Doncic wants might be the prudent decision.
One thing is certain — Dort could be a longterm building block alongside Doncic and Reaves, which the Lakers clearly recognize based on their reported interest in acquiring him this summer.
Lakers Linked to Trade for $17 Million 3-and-D Wing, NBA Champ to Pair With Luka Doncic