The Thunder aren’t letting Lu Dort go anywhere.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Oklahoma City has exercised Dort’s $17.7 million team option for the 2026-27 season, ensuring one of the NBA’s top perimeter defenders remains under contract.
The move had been widely expected despite Oklahoma City’s ongoing efforts to manage an increasingly expensive roster.
Dort, 27, averaged 8.3 points last season while continuing to handle many of the Thunder’s toughest defensive assignments. His offensive numbers dipped after shooting better than 40 percent from three in each of the previous two seasons, but he remains one of the league’s most respected defensive wings and was an All-Defensive First Team selection just a year earlier.
The Thunder, meanwhile, made another financial move by declining veteran forward Kenrich Williams‘ $7.2 million team option, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes.
Williams has spent the past six seasons with Oklahoma City and developed into one of the organization’s most respected locker-room voices, though his on-court role has steadily declined.
The decisions come as the Thunder continue balancing championship expectations with the realities of an expensive roster. Oklahoma City has already moved Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins this offseason, and additional moves can’t be ruled out as free agency gets underway.
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