Shedding Lu Dort’s contract opens strategic pathways for Sam Presti to fill the final roster spot.
The Thunder picked up Luguentz Dort’s $17.7 million team option, but they will likely seek a trade rather than keeping Dort on the roster. His salary is too high given his offensive decline, Oklahoma City’s financial constraints and Cason Wallace’s emergence.
If Sam Presti trades Dort without receiving any salary back, decline-and-signs Kenrich Williams to a two-year deal at $4.5 million per season and signs Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz to standard rookie contracts, then the Thunder have $6,346,756 to fill the final roster spot while ducking the second apron. How can they maximize the final spot given their limited tools?
Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception
Oklahoma City has the Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception (MLE) as an option because shedding Dort makes it a first-apron team. The MLE’s maximum amount this offseason is a two-year contract at $6.06 million in the first season and $6.36 million in the second season. It can only be used to sign free agents, and invoking the exception hard-caps a team at the second apron. This is not a huge issue for the Thunder because they want to duck the second apron in this scenario anyways.
Offering Dean Wade the full MLE (two-years, $12.42 million) is a logical option. The 6-foot-9 forward is an effective perimeter defender who knocks down triples at a decent rate. Wade does not offer much beyond the classic 3-and-D skill set, but he would give the Thunder more size and perform well in their defensive system. Many teams should pursue Wade this offseason, so he may be a bit too pricey for the MLE. It’s also unclear whether the veteran would accept a reduced role. Matisse Thybulle, Guerschon Yabusele and Josh Okogie are other names to monitor for the Thunder’s MLE.
Traded Player Exception
When a team sends out more salary than it receives in a trade, it creates a Traded Player Exception (TPE) that’s worth the difference in salary.
The Thunder will have three of them ($17.7 million, $11.3 million, $9 million) thanks to the Dort, Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins trades. They can subsequently use their TPEs to acquire a player or players via trade without sending anyone in return. Since the goal is to duck the second apron, Oklahoma City can shop for a player on the trade market who earns a maximum of $6,346,756 next season.
It’s slim pickings at this price, but players like Justin Champagnie and Haywood Highsmith have upside.
Veteran Minimum Contract
Rather than hard-capping themselves via the MLE, the Thunder can sign a free agent to a veteran minimum contract. It scales up based on years of service, and the highest amount for this upcoming season is $4,071,317 (10+ years of service).
How about a Russell Westbrook reunion? There are valid reasons to avoid this transaction, such as his style of play, strong personality and the Thunder’s logjam of guards. On the flip side, it would be amazing to see the franchise legend back in Paycom Center even if he plays sparingly. Westbrook deserves to end his career on a high note, and he could be the Thunder’s version of Udonis Haslem. Other veteran minimum options include Jevon Carter and Amir Coffey.
Sign Otega Oweh
Finally, the Thunder can also sign 41st overall pick Otega Oweh to a standard contract rather than a two-way deal. This gives them a cheap, long-term contract that could become a bargain. However, it slightly hurts their flexibility because they essentially lose a roster spot by having Oweh on a standard deal rather than acquiring a veteran and then signing Oweh to a two-way spot.
