The Los Angeles Lakers will likely have to get creative this offseason in order to upgrade their roster and become legitimate championship contenders. They may have to look past the bigger-name players they have been linked to and consider other possibilities.
After losing in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals on Saturday, the Oklahoma City Thunder will soon face a salary cap crunch. With the max extensions they gave to Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren set to kick in soon, they may have to let go of at least one of their rotation players this summer, and one man they may have to let leave is Luguentz Dort, who has a team option for next season.
Dort is someone who could help the Lakers as a defensive-minded wing who can also hit 3-pointers. But according to Sam Quinn of CBS Sports, the Thunder may make an effort to prevent the Lakers from acquiring Dort.
“If the Thunder can get something for Dort? Great. But there aren’t many teams positioned to take on his contract since he’s making more than the mid-level exception, and Oklahoma City’s preference is probably to keep him away from the Lakers, who would have the cap space to sign him outright if that option is declined.”
Dort averaged 8.3 points a game and shot 34.4% from 3-point range during the regular season, but he made just 30.8% of his 3-point attempts during this year’s playoffs. In the West finals against the San Antonio Spurs, he was even worse — 20% from downtown, to be exact. He had been a reliable 3-point shooter in the past, but he may not be reliable enough from season to season in the grand scheme of things.
The Lakers not only need athletic perimeter defenders — they need athletic two-way players. Even if Dort is available for them, he may not be an answer for them. After all, they already have non-shooting defensive-minded players in Jarred Vanderbilt, Jake LaRavia and Marcus Smart.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Report: Thunder want to keep Luguentz Dort ‘away from the Lakers’
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
