The Oklahoma City Thunder face the familiar challenge of keeping a championship roster together under tightening cap constraints, a situation that could push them to move quality players for financial relief. That opens a door for the Dallas Mavericks.
Dallas has cap flexibility to work with. With Cooper Flagg on his rookie deal, the Mavericks can absorb sizable contracts for the right players, and Oklahoma City’s Luguentz Dort is a name worth watching this summer.
Dallas Mavericks Could Pursue Luguentz Dort From the Oklahoma City Thunder
Dort is on the last guaranteed season of the five-year, $82.5 million deal he signed in 2022, and Oklahoma City holds a $17.7 million club option on him for 2026-27, with a June 29 deadline to decide.
The Thunder could decline the option and let him reach free agency, sidestepping the cost of his next contract but opening a hole on the wing. Moving him for value would make more sense than losing him for nothing.
That is where Dallas fits.
The most logical trade chip is Klay Thompson, whose salary lines up closely with Dort’s option figure. The Mavericks could package Thompson with a handful of second-round picks, a deal Oklahoma City might accept to bring in assets while keeping its books on a similar timeline.
Dallas Mavericks Would Benefit From Adding Luguentz Dort
Dort has ranked among the NBA’s best perimeter defenders for years. He earned All-Defensive First Team honors and finished fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2024-25, the season Oklahoma City won the title. He is unusually strong for a perimeter player and agile enough to lock down nearly anyone at the point of attack.
His 3-and-D billing rests more on the defense than the shooting. Dort is shooting 34.4% from deep this season, just below his 35.8% career average, a respectable but unremarkable mark for a player who has never been a threat to stretch defenses.
Still, Dort is a Masai Ujiri type of target. Ujiri prizes strong defenders, and the Mavericks have already signaled they intend to prioritize defense. Dort would fit the organization well, provided Dallas can pair him with enough shooting elsewhere. And with Flagg still on his rookie deal, the Mavericks can afford him.
