No one's safe if even the Thunder are afraid of the NBA's second apron

Over the last few years, it's been hard not to marvel at the work of Sam Presti.

Through shrewd trades and an incremental buildup of one of the NBA's strongest cultures, the lead Oklahoma City Thunder executive has constructed one of the finest-tuned, fuel-efficient machines in basketball. Every decision Presti makes has some sort of contingency plan in place to help keep the Thunder atop or near the top of the standings. He does not move a single chess piece without considering how it might help or hurt his basketball team. With the benefit of full context, it's easy to see why two-time reigning league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander trusts Presti so much. It's because every decision Presti considers for the Thunder is about basketball and basketball only.

Well, until now, that is.

On Sunday, the Thunder shipped off long-time veteran shooting guard Lu Dort to the Atlanta Hawks for the princely sum of three second-round draft picks. Huh? There's no way trading a 27-year-old starter for trade fodder in the form of draft picks could be construed as a basketball-only move. What I'm saying is that it sure seems like the Thunder, still only just over a year removed from winning the first championship in franchise history, are also afraid of the NBA's second tax apron.

WHAT IT'S DESIGNED TO DO: Why the NBA's second apron will ultimately only break up your favorite teams

And that speaks volumes about the current landscape of the NBA and how we might start seeing teams around the association treat this draconian restriction.

I'm under no illusion about the type of player Dort is. While he remains one of the NBA's best perimeter defenders (who crosses the line between "physical" and "dirty" too much sometimes), he's a streaky shooter at best. He doesn't create his own shot, either. In fact, he's usually the guy the opposing team decides to leave open in a heated playoff series because they trust that he won't make them pay for a gameplan centered around his limitations. It is no coincidence that Dort averaged the fewest minutes played and points scored per playoff game in his career this past postseason. It is no coincidence the San Antonio Spurs essentially played him off the floor over the course of their epic seven-game Western Conference Finals series with the Thunder.

Dort is entering the last year of a contract with a team option. There was no logical reality where Oklahoma City could afford to give a lucrative extension to a player with Dort's limitations and potentially hamstring the rest of its current championship window in the process. As we've seen, Dort, while useful in spurts, can be a major liability at his worst. The Thunder made the calculation to not even bother with earnest negotiations with him.

That's what gives me pause. I find it hard to qualify the Thunder as having gotten "better" as a team from this trade. Dort spent seven years with the Thunder. He was an integral part of the team's rise alongside Gilgeous-Alexander's ascent into superstardom. The Thunder do not reach the NBA's tallest summit in 2025 without Dort's efforts as a culture player and tone-setter. Full stop. And now, with plenty of gas left in the tank, they decide to cut bait on him to avoid the second apron? Really? No disrespect to Cason Wallace, Ajay Mitchell, and Jared McCain, but Dort still presents as solid depth for any team hoping to contend for a championship. To me, he is worth keeping around, albeit perhaps on a compromise of a contract.

I can't say I blame them per se, but hoo boy, we actually might be understating the horrors of the second apron if even the Thunder are afraid of bringing its hard penalties upon themselves. Think of it this way, dearest readers. Unless the Denver Nuggets run it back with Peyton Watson, Cam Johnson, and Spencer Jones, zero NBA teams will likely sit in the second apron this coming season. Which, phew.

We're only two years into the implementation of the second apron into NBA teams' calculus. It's already making everyone walk on eggshells. I shudder to think about the potential long-term implications this will have on the game and the league as a whole.

Shootaround

• Trae Young still wants Knicks fans, who are above him now, to hate him so bad. C'mon now, man.
• Will Spain's latest World Cup win influence LeBron James' latest decision? The small sample size says YES.
• Uh, Yaxel Lendeborg might want to learn a thing or two about phrasing because we are still doing that.
• HoopsHype: The 20 best free agent shooting guards who are still available.

This was Layup Lines, For the Win's basketball newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: No one's safe if even the Thunder are afraid of the NBA's second apron