OKC Thunder plans to exercise Lu Dort's team option for 2022-23 season

Joe Mussatto, Oklahoman
·2 min read
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Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti said Saturday that the Thunder plans to exercise the $1.9 million team option for guard Lu Dort for the 2022-23 season.

“I would just plan on that happening unless something changed,” Presti said.

There was speculation that the Thunder might decline Dort’s team option for next season. By declining the team option, the Thunder could have made Dort a restricted free agent. OKC would then have had the right to match any offer sheet Dort received from another team.

By picking up the team option, the Thunder buys itself more time while not eating into its 2023 salary cap space prematurely.

Dort will enter next season on the final year of his contract. If Dort and the Thunder don’t come to an extension agreement, Dort will enter the 2023 offseason as an unrestricted free agent.

“Everybody knows how we feel about Lu and what he means to the team,” Presti said. “With that being said, he’ll be a free agent after next season, and we’ll have the ability to have those conversations with him at that time.”

Dort, one of the top perimeter defenders in the league, averaged a career-high 17.2 points per game last season. He signed with the Thunder in the summer of 2019 after going undrafted out of Arizona State.

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Tip-ins

► Assistant coach Kameron Woods will coach the Thunder’s Summer League team. Woods stepped in as the Thunder’s Summer League coach last year when Grant Gibbs, head coach of the G League Blue, entered health and safety protocols.

► Santa Clara’s Jalen Williams goes by J-Dub, and Arkansas’ Jaylin Williams goes by J-Will. It’s a small step in clearing up the confusion.

► Chet Holmgren described himself as a “foodie.” He said Thunder fans will be seeing him at local restaurants.

► “Now that I’m here,” Holmgren said, “I can officially say this is where I want to be.”

► Jalen William said he picked No. 8 as a tribute to Kobe Bryant. Bryant wore No. 8 and No. 24, but No. 24 was unavailable. Worn by Spencer Haywood, No. 24 was retired by the Seattle SuperSonics.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder plans to exercise Lu Dort's team option for 2022-23 season