Fansided

1 contract every NBA team would want back

By Ian Levy

Mar 28, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole (3) flexes after a play against the New Orleans Pelicans during the fourth quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 28, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole (3) flexes after a play against the New Orleans Pelicans during the fourth quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 6, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) warms up before a game against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 6, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) warms up before a game against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports /

Oklahoma City Thunder: Lu Dort

It’s tough to quibble too much with the Thunder, one of the youngest teams in the league who was on the verge of a playoff appearance last season. They have a budding star in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a slew of other incredible young players, a mountain of draft picks and an extremely clean cap sheet.

They have to spend their money somehow to get to the salary floor and the five-year, $82 million contract Lu Dort is playing in doesn’t really hurt them that much or limit their future flexibility.  But his offensive limitations are coming into sharper focus and it’s clear that the Thunder are playing a lot of money for what amounts to a defensive specialist.

Again, if this is their biggest problem, they’re in amazing shape. But what Dort is easily the most replaceable of any of their core contributors and will have one of the highest cap hits on the team for the next few seasons.

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