Espn: Shai Gilgeous-alexander Hopes To Convince Thunder To Keep Lu Dort

Falling shy of their back-to-back NBA championship ambitions, the Oklahoma City Thunder are about to see some roster changes for the first time in two summers. With a handful of players whose long-term futures will need to be decided soon, we could see some new faces arrive.

Such is life in the NBA. You only get a handful of years with the same group of guys — if that. Running it back with mostly the same group that brought home a Larry O'Brien trophy in 2025, the Thunder will need to shake things up to stay competitive in their contending window.

Someone who might leave is Lu Dort. He has a $17.7 million team option for the 2026-27 season. Considering how his year played out and those behind him, it feels like the writing is on the wall that he makes a heartbreaking departure after seven seasons in OKC.

After an All-Defense campaign last year, Dort experienced regression across the board. The one-on-one defense wasn't the same. And the outside jumper fell a few percentage points. As the Thunder went deeper into the NBA playoffs, his playing time dwindled. And with Cason Wallace also eligible for a contract extension and a promotion, he could take his spot in the starting lineup.

Everything on paper suggests the Thunder hand the baton to Wallace and help Dort find a new NBA home. But one variable out of their control is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's wishes. Even though the two-time MVP winner said he'll stay out of Sam Presti's business, ESPN's Tim MacMahon said that was all a front in saying the right things publicly.

The day after their Game 7 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, MacMahon went on ESPN's 'NBA Today' program to say Gilgeous-Alexander will vouch for the Thunder to keep Dort somehow, someway.

"I was told, though, that Shai was playing a little bit coy there," MacMahon said. "He will at least remind Sam Presti and the Thunder management just how much he values having Lu Dort as his teammate."

That's interesting. Both Gilgeous-Alexander and Dort are tied for the longest tenured players on the Thunder. They joined for the 2019-20 season. The former was a key piece in their blockbuster package from the 2019 Paul George trade. And the latter worked his way up from a two-way player to a starter.

In seven seasons together, Gilgeous-Alexander and Dort have seen the Thunder grow from a rebuilding team to an NBA champion. A lot of history and emotion is behind that. Heck, they were roommates at one point. We haven't even brought up their time together on Team Canada in international play over the years.

Either way, this is why Presti is paid the big bucks. It feels like choosing Wallace over Dort is a pretty clear-cut decision. But there are more dynamics involved beyond just the right basketball move. That's something outside pundits and fans don't understand. And an example of that is explaining to Gilgeous-Alexander why that's the best course of action — even if it's an emotionally-taxing one.

MacMahon:

"I was told though that Shai was playing a little bit coy there. He will at least remind Sam Presti and the Thunder management just how much he values having Lu Dort as his teammate" https://t.co/EsdMtfMA4Zpic.twitter.com/xoS6aNss4X

— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) June 1, 2026

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: ESPN: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hopes to convince Thunder to keep Lu Dort