Latest news with #Dort
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Lu Dort vouches for Montreal to have an NBA expansion team
As the calendar nears August, the NBA has hit its driest part of the year. The offseason is mostly settled. Teams head to vacation for the last two months before they get back on the grind for the 2025-26 season. After winning the NBA championship, the Oklahoma City Thunder will enter next season as the favorite to repeat. But before they can do that, players are scattered throughout the globe. It's that time of the year when everybody heads back home and relaxes a little. For Lu Dort, that means going back to Montreal, Québec, Canada. He played a key role in the Thunder's championship run. He was tasked to defend the opposition's best scorers. He also stepped up on the other end as he shot 34.3% from 3 on 6.1 attempts in the playoffs. When you win the Larry O'Brien trophy, you get the entire summer to flex your bragging rights. In Dort's case, that means showing how he could be the perfect 3-and-D starter on an NBA champion. After going undrafted in 2019, he's had one of OKC's better developmental success stories into one of the top defenders. Now that Dort is back home in Montreal, he's had a chance to reflect on the Thunder's championship journey. He also pushed the agenda that his home city is good enough to have its own NBA franchise. The 26-year-old has never been shy about his roots. As NBA Commissioner Adam Silver poured cold water over expansion talks at the Summer League, Dort recently campaigned that Montreal is capable of having an NBA franchise. You always hear about Seattle and Las Vegas. Rarely about Montreal. The Toronto Raptors are Canada's sole NBA team. "I would say the talent and the audience definitely. I think there's a lot of people in Montreal that loves basketball. Talent, we have so many kids from Montreal that plays in high school now. That plays in college. A lot of them in the NBA as well," Dort said. "I really think it's possible. I'll see if it happens one day. I'll see if I'll be involved in that one day. It's to see but I feel like it could definitely feel like it could happen one day." Of course, Montreal has hosted NBA games before. They hosted the Thunder and Dort in a 2023-24 preseason game against the Detroit Pistons. There was an appetite for NBA basketball back then that's only grown over time. Dort has done his part to make that known. "I'm telling them like, 'Guys, Montreal is a nice city and I'm pretty sure the NBA would love to have a team there,'" Dort said. "Sometimes, whenever I get the chance to speak on it, I'll do it." Considering Silver slowed down the talks of an NBA expansion, it'll be a while before Montreal can place its bid. That said, he didn't rule it out. It's been the talk around the league for a decade. While everybody else around the sport is ready to add a couple of more teams, the NBA itself might not be.
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
OKC Thunder mailbag: How should Lu Dort's possible contract extension be handled?
The calendar nears August, which means the NBA is in its driest part of the year. Rosters are mostly set as front offices head into vacations for the next couple of months before training camps start. The Oklahoma City Thunder will enter the 2025-26 season with the hopes of being repeat NBA champions. They had one of the greatest seasons ever with a 68-14 regular-season record and captured the Larry O'Brien trophy. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren were all signed to new contract extensions this offseason. But what about another Thunder starter who is sneakily extension-eligible? With plenty of time to kill, Thunder Wire will conduct regular mailbags to answer questions that fans have. One question being asked is if the Thunder should go four-for-four with big extensions this summer and sign Lu Dort to a new deal. There's no straightforward answer as OKC's payroll situation gets dicey after next season. Dort has two years, $36.4 million left on his current deal. The second year is a 2026-27 team option for $18.2 million. Considering the 26-year-old had his best season yet as he finally earned All-Defensive Team honors and stepped up in the playoffs, he's being criminally underpaid. That should change soon. If the Thunder feel confident enough about their payroll situation and comfortable with an expensive roster, they could go ahead and sign him this summer. But considering their recent history of decline-and-sign deals, they could wait until the next offseason to ink him to a long-term contract. Considering what other top defenders make, Dort could get in the $20 million to $30 million salary range pretty easily. He could surpass that, too. As currently constructed, that would place the Thunder with quite an expensive payroll. Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and Holmgren are set to take up around 85% of OKC's cap space once the 2026-27 season starts. It'd be tough to pencil in another decent-sized salary before running into roster construction problems. You also have to consider other contract situations with Dort. Isaiah Hartenstein has a $28.5 million team option for the 2026-27 season. Cason Wallace will be eligible for an extension next summer. Alex Caruso will start a four-year, $81.1 million extension this upcoming season. It's a lot to tie up. The Thunder may need to decline Hartenstein's option anyway to avoid being punished with the first and second aprons. That doesn't even include the possibility of keeping Dort or Wallace. Just ballparking OKC's long-term cap sheet, it may be one or the other. Which is a tough decision to make. But if the Thunder hope to keep both, Caruso could be a trade candidate to make that possible. Even though he's on the wrong side of the age curve, the 31-year-old has a tradeable contract that averages around $20 million per season. He should easily have a market. If the Thunder move on from him and let Hartenstein walk, that could signal their hope to keep Dort and Wallace. I think the Thunder should do what they do best. Kick the can down the road. Make any long-term decisions on that group of four role players after next season. Dort has been a fixture since he arrived in 2019. He's been one of OKC's best gems ever as an undrafted rookie. Who knows how the Thunder prioritizes their upcoming contract situations outside of their Big 3, but Dort would be worth the headache to keep on a new extension. He's that valuable on both ends of the floor and is still in his prime. Extend Dort now or wait until next offseason before deciding what to do?What will happen with Dieng's contract? Salary dump him at the deadline and convert Barnhizer or Carlson to a standard deal? Trade Dieng for a win-now veteran?Will Chet's minutes be managed this reg szn?
USA Today
24-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Here's who reached out to Lu Dort to congratulate him on 2025 NBA championship
Achieving a dream that's been chased for nearly two decades, the Oklahoma City Thunder finally reached immortality with a 2025 NBA championship. After being a historic regular season win machine, their dominance carried over to the playoffs. All 18 NBA players on the Thunder's roster will forever be remembered. From MVP winner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to two-way rookie Branden Carlson, everybody will have their own holiday in June and July this summer to celebrate the championship. The Thunder's journey to the mountaintop is extra special for Lu Dort. After he went undrafted in 2019, he worked his way from an impressive two-way player to a key starter on a title winner. The 26-year-old is now known across the NBA as one of the best one-on-one stoppers. Each time Dort shoots one of his signature rainbow 3-pointers, the OKC crowd chants his first name in unison. Considering he's one of the longest-tenured players on the roster next to Gilgeous-Alexander, he's seen the Thunder's rise from rebuild to powerhouse firsthand. Before the Thunder kicked off their championship parade, Dort said that several former teammates reached out to him to congratulate him on his success. Chris Paul, Dennis Schroder, Andre Roberson and Nerlens Noel were the most notable names. All four were teammates in the 2019-20 season that saw them be a surprise playoff squad. That shouldn't be a shocker. Even though they haven't been teammates in years, to see Dort go from a G League player to an NBA champion has been one of the Thunder's best developmental success stories in franchise history. He's earned his flowers this season with his first All-Defensive nod after his teammates campaigned for him. Now, Dort is an NBA champion. The Thunder's all-time defense crossed them over the finish line. He was the face of it with awesome perimeter defense and shut down the opposition's best scorer most nights.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NBA Finals Game 7 is a different beast, but Lu Dort has shined in a Game 7 before
Tears glistened in Lu Dort's eyes while he spoke to the media. Even the stellar ball stopper couldn't prevent some of them from getting past his hardened defense, as they slowly streamed down his baby face. Advertisement The emotions overwhelmed Dort, who'd just scored a career-high 30 points as an undrafted rookie only for OKC to still suffer a Game 7 loss to Houston in the first round of the 2020 NBA playoffs. "It's a blessing just to be here," Dort told reporters with pain-filled pauses. "It didn't end up going our way, but it was big. It was big. It was a helluva season I had, and I'm grateful for that." Dort still remembers the pain of letting that Game 7 slip through his hands. But they've become far more calloused since then, toughened by countless nights of blue-collar contributions to the Thunder's success. Now, nearly five years later, Dort will try to leave his fingerprints on an even bigger Game 7. The biggest one of them all. Advertisement NBA Finals roundtable: How can OKC Thunder win Game 7? What is path for Indiana Pacers? OKC will host Indiana at 7 p.m. Sunday in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. The winning team will secure its first NBA championship in franchise history. "It was good, especially early in my career," Dort said Saturday when asked about his 2020 Game 7 experience. "I didn't know what to expect. I never knew what a Game 7 felt like. Just the nervousness and all of the stuff that you feel before a game like that. "I've felt that before (now). You've just got to approach it like any other game. You go out there and play your best and live with the results." Advertisement Even the Thunder couldn't have predicted the perfect storm that was Dort's Game 7 performance against Houston. After going undrafted in 2019, the Arizona State alum joined OKC on a two-way contract. That was eventually converted to a standard deal after the season was suspended due to COVID-19. Dort cracked the starting lineup with regular-season averages of 6.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.8 assists. They were solid numbers for a sturdy defender with a budding shot. But Dort used the bright lights of the playoffs to blossom. The then-21-year-old guard became the youngest player in NBA history to score at least 30 points in a Game 7. And despite going 7 for 38 from deep (18.4%) throughout the first six games of the series, he went 6 for 12 in that department (50%). Advertisement MUSSATTO: Thunder has won its 'must-win' games. Now comes Game 7, biggest test of all. Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) defends Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith (23) during Game 2 of the NBA Finals at Paycom Center on June 8. Oklahoma City won 123-107. Dort's final 3-point attempt, a potential game winner, was blocked by James Harden with about five seconds left in regulation. That sealed Houston's 104-102 victory. Still, there was no denying the obvious. After a lengthy journey from his home country of Canada to college to the G League to the Thunder, Dort had arrived. "It was one of the most impressive things that I've seen out of a player that young," Billy Donovan, OKC's head coach at the time, said after the game. "Here's a guy who was in the G League and never got drafted. ... He really did a lot of good things. It was unfortunate at the end of the game that (his) shot got blocked because he was playing so well." Advertisement Dort also shined on defense in the losing effort. Harden's iconic beard wasn't the only thing attached to his face throughout the game. So was Dort's hand. Despite averaging a league-leading 34.3 points that season, Harden only finished with 17 points. He went 4 for 15 from the field (26.7%) and 1 for 9 from deep (11.1%). CARLSON: Thunder, Pacers have 'a privilege' in basketball's holy grail — NBA Finals Game 7 Oklahoma City guard Luguentz Dort (5) celebrates a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter during game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, on Monday, June 16, 2025. 'He doesn't care about anything but playing hard,' Harden said of Dort after the game. 'As a young guy coming into this league, that's all you can ask for. ... He has the right mindset of just playing hard and playing balls to the wall, and he don't care what anybody thinks. He's gonna have a great career.' Advertisement Harden was one of the first victims of the "Dorture Chamber," which has since become one of the most feared forms of punishment in the NBA. Dort landed on the All-Defensive first team this season for the first time in his career, and he has lived up to that selection in the Finals. The 6-foot-4 guard has showcased his versatility by helping defend both Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam. He has even knocked down his shots when needed, going 51.7% from deep on 4.8 attempts per game. Dort will do whatever it takes to win. That'll surely be the case Sunday for the fiery competitor, who's familiar with the burning pain of a Game 7 loss. Advertisement "You know that if you win, you'll be happy for a long time," Dort said of Game 7s. "And if you lose, you'll be mad for a long time. ... We know that we've got to give it our all." Justin Martinez covers sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at jmartinez@ or on X/Twitter at @JTheSportsDude. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at More: Why Thunder homecourt advantage vs Pacers may be an understatement in Game 7 of NBA Finals NBA Finals Game 7: Thunder vs. Pacers TIPOFF: 7 p.m. Sunday at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City (ABC) This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: How Lu Dort grew after OKC Thunder's Game 7 loss in 2020 NBA Playoffs
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Who is Luguentz Dort? What to know about OKC Thunder star in 2025 NBA Finals vs Pacers
If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission. Pricing and availability are subject to change. Luguentz Dort will be a key factor for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2025 NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers. Among those starting for the Thunder will be Lu Dort. Known for his great defense, the 26-year-old Dort was named to the NBA All-Defensive first team this year. Advertisement Here's a deeper look at Dort. More: Celebrate OKC Thunder's amazing season and run to NBA Finals with our commemorative book More: Mark Daigneault's hometown always believed in Thunder coach, long before NBA Finals run Where did Lu Dort play college basketball? Lu Dort spent one season at Arizona State, averaging 16.1 points per game for the Sun Devils. More: The Jalen Williams Way: How OKC Thunder forward paved a path to stardom, NBA Finals Where was Lu Dort selected in NBA Draft? Dort was not selected in the NBA Draft. He signed with the Thunder as an undrafted free agent in 2019. More: Carlson: How Chet Holmgren rebounded from hip injury to help power Thunder to NBA Finals What is Lu Dort's contract with OKC Thunder? Dort is in Year 3 of a five-year, $82.5-million contract with the Thunder, according to Spotrac. Advertisement More: NBA Finals 2025: From Loud City to Pacers Nation, get to know OKC and Indianapolis Lu Dort's stats for 2024-25 season Games: 71 Points: 10.1 per game Rebounds: 4.1 per game Assists: 1.6 per game Steals: 1.1 per game Blocks: 0.5 per game Field-goal shooting: 43.5% 3-point shooting: 41.2% Free-throw shooting: 71.7% Latest OKC Thunder news in NBA Finals This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Who is Lu Dort? What to know about OKC Thunder star in 2025 NBA Finals
