The Oklahoma City Thunder signed Canadian Luguentz Dort to a multi-year contract.
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00:00 The Oklahoma City Thunder signed Canadian Lugenz Dort to a multi-year contract today.
00:06 Joined now by Sports Illustrated's Eric G to talk about the signing.
00:11 Eric, what prompted the Thunder to make the move?
00:14 Well prompted the Thunder to make this move was very easy.
00:17 They didn't want to let Lugenz Dort get to the free agent market next year, which because
00:21 he's on a two-way contract that he just played out this season, he would have been a restricted
00:26 free agent coming up during the offseason, which the Thunder would have been allowed
00:30 to match any offer for him.
00:33 However, because we don't know what the salary cap is going to be next year, and we know
00:37 that the Thunder want to get out of the luxury tax, Oklahoma City and Sam Presti didn't want
00:42 to take the chance of somebody pricing them out of the market.
00:46 I think also this quells the rumors a little bit about the Thunder possibly going out and
00:51 picking somebody up off the free agent market.
00:54 Although with Sam Presti, it's best to just expect the unexpected.
00:58 And just when you think this roster's set, maybe somebody like Deontay Burton or Terence
01:04 Ferguson might get waved for the likes of Amon Shumpert to come in, but we're still
01:08 waiting to see if that'll happen.
01:11 For Canadian fans, this is a kid who went undrafted in last year's draft and has seemed
01:16 to work his way into the starting rotation for the Thunder.
01:19 What do you expect from his future with the team?
01:21 I expect him to take Andre Roberson's place because he's younger and cheaper.
01:25 Andre Roberson is finishing out the last part of his contract.
01:29 He hasn't played in two seasons, and even though he in some ways can be considered an
01:34 elite defender, he does not have the offensive firepower that a guy like Lou Dort has.
01:39 While Dort isn't the most consistent scorer that the Thunder have in that starting lineup,
01:44 he has shown the ability to score in bunches throughout the years, which is something that
01:50 Andre Roberson has never shown during his time in Oklahoma City.
01:55 And plus with Andre Roberson, you have no idea about his health, his mental health.
02:00 Is that he good?
02:01 Is it not good?
02:02 Is he ready to get back on the floor?
02:03 Is he not ready to get back on the floor?
02:05 Dort is just one of the most stable players that the Thunder have right now.
02:10 He's also been very good since filling in for Terence Ferguson since he took a leave
02:14 of absence.
02:15 And I think he is what we like to call a Thunder guy, which means he doesn't have a lot of
02:21 issues.
02:22 He seems to get along with his teammates, and he just goes out and does his job.
02:27 Kind of that bring your lunch pail to work kind of guy that fans around here really respect,
02:33 and the organization just seems to value.
02:36 Well, Canadian fans will certainly hope to continue to see him succeed in the coming
02:41 years.
02:42 Thanks so much, Eric.