The Oklahoma City Thunder have made one of the biggest moves of the offseason, sending longtime guard Luguentz Dort to the Atlanta Hawks as part of a three-team trade that also sends former No. one overall pick Zaccharie Risacher to the Dallas Mavericks.
In return, the Thunder receive three future second-round picks, while Ryan Nembhard heads from Dallas to Atlanta.
The move continues Oklahoma City’s aggressive financial reshaping following its championship season. The Thunder have now accumulated seven second-round picks this offseason while moving below the NBA’s second tax apron after also parting ways with Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins.
General manager Sam Presti admitted the deal was driven primarily by the franchise’s long-term financial outlook.
“This was a financial decision,” Presti told The Oklahoman. “The impression I have been given is that the savings generated this summer, and from being out of the tax the last several years, will be re-allocated to future teams.”
Rather than declining Dort’s $17.7 million team option outright, Oklahoma City exercised it before completing the trade. The move allows the franchise to collect additional assets, create a $17 million trade exception and gives Dort an opportunity to pursue a long-term contract in Atlanta.
Dort leaves Oklahoma City after seven seasons, having joined the franchise as an undrafted two-way player in 2019 before developing into one of the league’s premier perimeter defenders. The 27-year-old earned First Team All-Defensive honors in 2025 and averaged 8.3 points and 3.6 rebounds across 69 games last season.
Despite acknowledging the business side of the move, Presti admitted replacing Dort won’t be easy.
“Losing Lu will certainly have an affect on the team, but I think we are positioned well to reimagine ourselves and continue to find new avenues to win,” Presti told the Oklahoman. “Cason [Wallace] and Ajay [Mitchell] will have more responsibility, as will others.”
Atlanta adds one of the NBA’s best wing defenders to a group that already includes Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, while also maintaining more than $40 million in projected cap space next summer.
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