The Oklahoma City Thunder are on the doorstep of back-to-back NBA championships, and general manager Sam Presti — who has spent a decade accumulating assets and draft capital — now faces his most consequential offseason since building this core. Two free-agent decisions will determine whether OKC realistically pursues a three-peat in 2027: what to do with Luguentz Dort’s team option, and how to handle Isaiah Hartenstein’s contract situation.

Dort, 27, is one of the most physically punishing perimeter defenders in the league. His $18.2 million team option is a bargain for what he provides — the kind of assignment defender who can slow down opposing stars and play 30-plus minutes in a playoff series without flinching. If the Thunder are serious about chasing a third consecutive title, opting Dort out to cut costs would be penny-wise and pound-foolish. Teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls are exactly the kind of cap-room squads that would hand him a four-year offer north of $20 million annually.

Hartenstein is a different equation. The center is owed $28.5 million via a team option, and while his role in OKC’s Western Conference Finals run has raised his stock considerably, the Thunder are staring down a luxury tax bill that grows more painful every season. The franchise avoided the tax in back-to-back championship campaigns, but with Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren both on significant extensions, the math gets ugly fast.

Presti’s most likely move is to opt Hartenstein out of his contract and pre-negotiate a multi-year deal at a lower annual starting salary — perhaps in the $22–24 million range over four years, giving Oklahoma City cost certainty below the tax line. Hartenstein, 27, has legitimate reason to test the market if the opt-out is mutual, but he also understands that staying in a winning system has value beyond the paycheck.

The Thunder’s depth — with Aleksej Pokusevski, Kenrich Williams, and a stable of young wings — means they can absorb a Dort departure more easily than a Hartenstein one. A healthy Hartenstein as the starting center gives OKC the physical, switchable big they need to defend elite frontcourts in the postseason. Replacing that profile is not easy.

What makes this moment particularly high-stakes is that OKC’s window may be the longest of any team in the league. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is 27. Jalen Williams is 24. Chet Holmgren is 23. The franchise does not need to make desperation moves — but it cannot afford to let cost-cutting unravel a roster that has been the class of the Western Conference for two consecutive seasons.

Player	2025-26 Salary	Option Type	Decision
Luguentz Dort	$18.2M	Team option	Opt in recommended
Isaiah Hartenstein	$28.5M	Team option	Likely opt out + renegotiate

OKC should pick up Dort’s option without hesitation and use the Hartenstein opt-out as an opportunity to restructure — not to lose — one of their most important frontcourt players. Paying slightly more in luxury tax to keep both is the cost of championship-level continuity. The Thunder have done the hard work of building this team. Now is not the time to let it unravel over a few million dollars.