Oklahoma City is playing a different game than everyone else. And it’s working.
The Thunder traded Lu Dort to the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday as part of a three-team deal that sent Zaccharie Risacher to the Dallas Mavericks. Oklahoma City got three future second-round picks in return, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. That’s the headline. But the real story is what this means for a front office that’s been quietly tearing down its payroll all summer.
According to NBA cap analyst Yossi Gozlan, the Thunder have cut their payroll and luxury tax penalties by a combined $317 million since the start of the offseason. That’s not a typo. Three hundred and seventeen million dollars. For context, that’s more than some NBA teams spend on their entire roster over multiple seasons.
This Wasn’t Just One Move
Dort was the third notable player Oklahoma City shipped out this summer in what looks like a coordinated cost-cutting push. Earlier, they dealt Aaron Wiggins to the Hawks and Isaiah Joe to the Pistons. Both moves were clearly about the money. Presti has been stockpiling draft picks for years, and now he’s flipping veteran role players for more capital while clearing the books.
The big concern coming into the offseason was whether the Thunder would need to gut their rotation to get under the second apron. Turns out the answer was yes — but they’ve done it without surrendering any of their core guys. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is still there. Jalen Williams is still there. Chet Holmgren is still there.
What They Added, What They Kept
Oklahoma City’s biggest splash this offseason was drafting Michigan big man Aday Mara in the lottery. Mara had a rough go at Summer League, but the raw tools are there. The Thunder aren’t asking him to be a star on day one. They’ve got the luxury of developing him slowly because the roster is still stacked.
And that’s the wild part. Even after cutting this much payroll, even after shipping out three rotation players, the Thunder are still one of the deepest teams in the league. Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain both broke out last year and locked down rotation spots. Gilgeous-Alexander is coming off an MVP-caliber season and is motivated after that Western Conference Finals loss to Dallas. The supporting cast around him is young, hungry and already battle-tested.
The Thunder basically pressed the reset button on their payroll without pressing the reset button on their contention window. That’s a hard trick to pull off. Most teams that slash this much salary are rebuilding. Oklahoma City is reloading.
Sam Presti has been doing this long enough that nobody should be surprised anymore. But $317 million in savings? Even by his standards, that’s a lot.
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