Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's Lu Dort push could put Mavericks in play for a hidden gem

The Oklahoma City Thunder project to be over the second apron next season if they exercise all of their team options. After reports surfaced that superstar Shai-Gilgeous Alexander will reportedly push for Thunder GM Sam Presti to keep Lu Dort and opt into his $17.72 million team option, this could force the Thunder into a roster crunch, where they'd consider trading a hidden gem like Cason Wallace to shed salary.

Keeping your superstar players happy is essential in today's NBA, and if Presti prioritizes retaining Dort, a trade elsewhere on the roster could very well be in play. Wallace could realistically be a trade candidate if OKC doesn't plan on giving him a contract extension, and the Dallas Mavericks should pounce on him if so.

Gilgeous-Alexander and Dort have both been with the Thunder since 2019, and are both members of Team Canada, so Dort's hawking defense at the point of attack aside, it makes complete sense why Gilgeous-Alexander would privately vouch to management about keeping his right-hand man in OKC with him.

SGA wanting Lu Dort back could spur a Wallace-to-Dallas trade

Wallace is a stellar defender at the point of attack as well, but he's a lot more cost-controlled given he's still on a rookie contract with $7.4 million due next season, and will only be a restricted free agent next summer. If the Thunder want to keep someone like Gilgeous-Alexander's guy in Dort, a developing two-way guard like Wallace could be the sacrificial lamb in this equation to a team like Dallas that is starved for guard help, as the Thunder are already flush on two-way guards.

If OKC is trying to keep Dort as well as potentially Isaiah Hartenstein, they'll need to shed some salary for next season to avoid heavy luxury tax penalties from being in the second apron, or one would at least think they'd want to after losing in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals to the San Antonio Spurs. This is why Wallace could be on the move — especially if the Thunder explore giving Dort a long-term contract.

In a theoretical Wallace-to-Dallas trade, Wallace would be returning close to home from where he played growing up at Richardson High School, as well as re-joining the team that originally drafted him before the Dereck Lively II trade went down.

Wallace would be the perfect fit in Dallas if attainable

He doesn't turn 23 years old till November, and despite earning All-Defensive Second Team Honors this past season, he's still been under-appreciated league-wide because of how hard it's been for him to fully spread his wings offensively on a stacked roster like OKC.

He projects as a better shooter and driver than someone like Dort ever was, and is an all-world defender on a team that isn't easy to gain recognition on as a top perimeter defender type. Wallace would be an amazing fit in Dallas, and he could fit right inside their $20.8 million trade exception created from the Anthony Davis deal, or could find his way to the Mavericks in a draft-night trade where Dallas traded back for one of OKC's first-rounders at No. 12 and/or 17.

As talented and budding a young prospect as Wallace is, OKC can't keep everyone without heavy penalties, and someone like Wallace or another one of their young guards is undoubtedly a player to watch for the Mavericks in a trade this summer, especially with Gilgeous-Alexander's reported insistence on keeping his teammate and brother around in Dort.

The Thunder have even been rumored to be a trade-up candidate in the 2026 NBA Draft, and Dallas could look to demand Wallace in this scenario rather than both of OKC's first-round picks in the top 20.

Wallace could slot in as Dallas' starting two-guard from the jump next season, and would be perfect next to Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg if this theoretical scenario came through, with the cherry on top being that the Mavericks fans would no longer have to debate if they lost the Lively II-Wallace trade or not.

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