Jun 29, 2026 6 min read thunder weekly

Thunder Weekly: The Dortcast

The Thunder week ahead: the week ahead, last week's Daily Thunder reads, season results vs. this week's opponent(s), and FAQs for what’s next.

On the Radar: This week's schedule

The regular season is months away, but we have lots of action on and off the court this week.

Monday: Dort Day

We'll know whether Lu Dort remains a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder for the 2026-27 season by 4pm today, OKC's deadline to pick up or decline team options for Dort and Kenrich Williams.

Justin Martinez (The Oklahoman) reports that the team is expected to pick up Dort's option, with no regard for the second apron as they decide on whether to retain their players under contract.

If the option were declined, Dort would become a free agent in the open market. They could also work out a decline-and-re-sign (see: Isaiah Hartenstein) a pick-up-and-trade, or some other deal that works for both sides.

With over 50 other options coming due across the NBA, a day before free agency begins for a frenzied, trade-heavy league, the Dort decision could still drag out longer. But the decision on his $17.7 million contract for 2026-27 cannot.

Bookmark our Offseason Timeline to keep track of the madness.

Tuesday

Free agency begins at 5pm. Deals can be agreed to in principle, with a moratorium on signing contracts until July 6.

Wednesday

The 2026-27 NBA year officially begins. All cap, tax, and apron lines will be final. Rookie and two-way contracts for Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz, and Otega Oweh can be signed during the moratorium.

Friday

The California Classic Summer League starts. (OKC is not a participant, but plenty of our missed draft targets will be.)

Saturday

The Thunder open Summer League exhibition play in Salt Lake City, squaring off with the Memphis Grizzlies at 2pm, Central. Mara and Stirtz are expected to make their debuts.

The latest on Daily Thunder

Alongside our feature on the massive luxury tax payments the Thunder are expected to rack up in the coming years, we launched our Cap Cruncher Beta for supporters to enjoy. Trade, sign, and push OKC's player and draft assets while watching the payroll soar.

“The restrictive aprons do not prevent OKC from maintaining the deepest contender in the league. The aprons prevent the Steve Ballmers and Joe Lacobs of the NBA from acquiring a mountain of expensive talent like the Yankees and Dodgers of the MLB, but they can't break up what the Thunder already have.”
- Dynasties Ain't Cheap: OKC's Cap Crunch

Don't Miss:

“The ~~Fake~~ Sham News: Hartenstein agreed to a fully-guaranteed deal with a "unique" mutual option between the player and the team. Factcheck: Players and teams cannot both hold early termination or option triggers on the same deal. These opt-out mechanics are limited to one side or the other.
- Sham News: The Real Hartenstein Deal

“Joe, 26, had a career year in 2025-26, draining 42.3% of his threes and scoring 11.1 points per contest. Joe had a much better regular season than Aaron Wiggins, who was also shipped east (Atlanta) for two second-round picks. But the 6-year vet was also benched in a Western Conference Finals series where Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell were out and OKC was hurting for shooting, Mark Daigneault didn't trust the veteran duo to pick up the slack: outside of blowouts, neither guard saw more than 10 minutes against the Spurs' rotation of big, physical guards and wings.”
- Thunder Trade Isaiah Joe

“Wiggins has already built a career many players could envy, playing a meaningful role for a championship team across multiple seasons. He's more than earned his legendary Thunder status.”
- Thunder trade Aaron Wiggins to Hawks

“Josh Dix gets a two-way with OKC, while Lamar Wilkerson and Nate Johnson have received Exhibit 10 deals... It's hype train season. Start with these Stirtz and Mara highlights from the Iowa/Michigan game last season, and chase it with a 26-point game from Dix against Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper."
- Thursday Bolts: Hop on the Hype Train

“Despite fake news to the contrary, OKC has NOT already declined Williams' team option per the RealGM transaction log... Katie Heindl (Basketball Feelings) on the fading villainy of Shai and the Thunder...”
- Tuesday Bolts: It's Draft Day

“Mara believers project him as a starting center who will lock down the paint and facilitate offense from the elbows. Stirtz is a polished, high-feel point guard with elite pick-and-roll command, whose biggest fans envision an elite organizer who will reliably lead the second unit.”
- Thunder draft Aday Mara, Bennett Stirtz

“A 23-year-old listed at 6'5, 226 lbs, Oweh was not a given to be drafted despite leading Kentucky in scoring and steals. He's a brute force attacker/defender without a jumper, and doesn't stand much better chance to crack the roster than Brooks Barnhizer or any of the other two-way candidates on the margins for the Thunder.
- Thunder Draft Otega Oweh in Second Round

“Among the complementary crowd, gimme Brayden Burries or Aday Mara as role+upside picks. But I want the Thunder to select a star player in the loaded 2026 NBA Draft. I like the starpower signals from Hannes Steinbach and Dailyn Swain best. I’d be happy if Presti reached for either at #12.
- Thunder Draft Guide: The Case for Dailyn Swain

“It wasn't a pretty process. With #11 and #12 in hand, we took Wagler unanimously, then fought over which Michigan Wolverine was the best choice. In another fantasy proposal from @DraftandTrades, we accepted a contingency deal to send Lu Dort to the Lakers for #25. When the Thunder were on the clock, we had to agree on the pick by majority vote. Same went for trade offers fielded and pitched: our war room had to agree, which locked up a lot of activity as the timer kept counting down and players kept coming off the board.”
- Thunder War Room: DT's Mock Draft

“I'd be cool with the Thunder running it back in 2026-27, more or less. If instead they start to churn a little more after two stable seasons of dominance? We'll survive. The team we love will be back next season, even if the options and picks and rotation feels fluid for the next few months. We've been through much worse.”
- Saturday Morning Cartoons: SamSpeak