Thunder rumors: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will ‘remind Sam Presti’ why he values Lu Dort

After missing out on another Finals appearance, there are a lot of questions surrounding the Oklahoma City Thunder. While they did suffer a few crucial injuries, the series against the San Antonio Spurs had also exposed some key weaknesses of the team. The question, now, is whether the Thunder try to get better this offseason by trading for a proven star.

One of the names floating around as a potential trade chip for Oklahoma City is Luguentz Dort. One of the heroes of last year’s championship run, Dort’s value is being questioned after barely playing in the Spurs series. Given GM Sam Presti’s well-known reputation for trading fan favorites without a second thought, many Thunder fans are thinking that Dort could be on his way out.

However, there might be one person who can keep Dort in an OKC uniform: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. SGA has said earlier this week that he wouldn’t interfere in Presti’s work as a general manager. However, Tim MacMahon reported that the Thunder star is not above giving subtle hints to the front office about keeping Dort, who is his close friend and Team Canada teammate.

“I was told, though, that Shai was playing a little bit coy there,” MacMahon said on the NBA Today show. “He will at least remind Sam Presti and the Thunder management just how much he values having Lu Dort as his teammate.”

A few days ago, Gilgeous-Alexander was asked about how much he’ll be helping in the Thunder’s offseason planning. The reigning MVP was adamant that he won’t be having any input, letting the “greatest GM ever” do his job.,

“I will give zero input,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I will let Sam Presti, the greatest GM ever, do his job.”

The Thunder failed their title defense after losing to the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals. Dort, interestingly, had his minutes slashed during the WCF. While he was in the starting lineup for every game, Dort did not play heavy minutes like he did in previous seasons. He logged more than 20 minutes in all but two of the seven-game series, averaging just 4.2 points per game.

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