Could the Los Angeles Lakers make a play for Lu Dort?
The Los Angeles Lakers have their franchise star in place with Luka Doncic, now it's just a matter of building around him.
The 2024 Dallas Mavericks gave the blueprint on what is necessary to put around Doncic to be a championship-level team. The Mavericks surrounded Doncic with big men who protect the rim, set screens, and run the paint, and wings who defend, can knock down threes, and have some bounce off the dribble.
There was also Kyrie Irving, a second superstar to take the pressure off of Doncic to ensure he didn't have to do everything on the offensive end.
The Lakers have their second star in Austin Reaves, assuming he re-signs. They could have a third in LeBron James, if he also re-signs.
They are still searching for the perfect complementary big, but they could add another complementary wing.
Lu Dort To The Lakers?
According to Jake Fischer in the Stein Line newsletter, the Lakers have called the Oklahoma City Thunder about the availability of Lu Dort.
Dort has a team option worth $17 million, that the Thunder can pick up before potentially trading him. OKC will have a number of roster decisions to make as the contract extensions for Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams will kick in, putting them well into the first apron, and they have two first round picks in the upcoming draft.
OKC could potentially decline Dort's option, which would make him an unrestricted free agent, but it seems unlikely that they'll allow him to walk away for nothing.
A Good Addition?
Dort is heralded as one of the best on-ball defenders in the league, though some fans and players have criticized him to crossing the line into being too physical and dirty. Doncic has seen a lot of Dort over the years as he's been the primary defender on the Lakers superstar.
Dort makes everyone's job easier on the defensive end as he's going to guard the top player and do so at a high-level, wearing him out throughout the game with his physicality.
On the offensive end, he's a good but inconsistent shooter from three, with his average dropping to 34% this past season after being at 39% in 2023-24 and 41% in 2024-25. He can put the ball on the floor to an extent, but he isn't at the level of Marcus Smart when it comes to his decision-making.
Still, he's exactly the type of player that complements Doncic and Reaves in that he's low maintenance on offense and will shoulder a big responsibility on defense.
