Mavericks' path to defensive upgrade fades thanks to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

The Dallas Mavericks need to fix their perimeter defense badly as they head into Cooper Flagg's sophomore season, with Oklahoma City Thunder guard Lu Dort making perfect sense as an ideal candidate to do so if he becomes available. Dort has helped anchor OKC's defense for multiple seasons now, and with Dallas having access to the non-taxpayer mid-level exception (about $15 million annually for up to four years), the 6-foot-4 dynamite defender should go right in that range.

The only problem is that the Thunder have a $17.72 million team option on Dort's contract, and if Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has any say about what Sam Presti should do, the Dorture Chamber won't be going anywhere.

ESPN's Tim MacMahon asked Gilgeous-Alexander about Oklahoma City's upcoming team options on Isaiah Hartenstein and Dort's contracts after Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals over the weekend. While SGA replied that he would give no input and "let Sam Presti, the greatest GM ever, do his job," MacMahon reports that this answer was not straightforward from the back-to-back MVP.

Gilgeous-Alexander could prevent Dort from hitting free agency

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

Dort and Gilgeous-Alexander's connection runs deep, and with MacMahon already reporting that SGA is going to push for Presti to retain Dort just a few days into the Thunder's offseason, this hints at the Mavericks not having a shot at him in free agency. Dallas' potential pursuit of Dort was always going to come down to what the Thunder decide to do with their team option, and they could pick up this option to keep their superstar happy.

Dort and SGA have been teammates in OKC since 2019, with each player playing over 430 regular-season games and 50 playoff games for Oklahoma City during this span. They're the two longest-tenured players for the Thunder, but their ties go deeper than that.

Gilgeous-Alexander and Dort are teammates for Team Canada, and Dort even lived with SGA for a year during their early days with the Thunder. This isn't just a friendship anymore. They seem like brothers at this point.

On top of this, Dort stated that he'd like to remain in Oklahoma City during his exit interview this week.

Dallas may never have a shot to pursue Dort

The Mavericks' shot at signing the perfect player to fix their defense may be over before it even begins. He'd be a huge upgrade over players like Naji Marshall, Max Christie, and Caleb Martin at the point of attack, but Gilgeous-Alexander's opinion is going to matter for the Thunder.

MacMahon made it clear that he's been told that Gilgeous-Alexander will tell the front office how much he enjoys being on the same team as Dort, and it seems like this duo won't be splitting up this summer.

The Canadian guard would be a spectacular fit in Dallas due to his toughness, perimeter defense, physicality, and 3-point shooting off the catch, but Gilgeous-Alexander's say may end up being the final push to keep Dort in the 405.

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