Lu Dort agrees to five-year, $87.5 million deal with Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder are bringing back Lu Dort on a five-year, $87.5 million deal in free agency, per Adrian Wojnarowski. Dort was initially sent to free agency after the team declined his option but the Thunder clearly wanted him back and paid up for the wing.

This is a bit of an overpay for the Thunder, who can afford to cut bait on some players as they’ve got plenty of draft capital along the way to replace guys on the fringes. Dort does have value as a defender and perimeter shooter, but it’s hard to tell how much of his production is real or simply the result of playing heavy minutes for a bad team. He can grow into a bigger role and on this contract, that’s what the Thunder are banking on. It’s a good deal for Dort, who took advantage of being at a premium position in the league.