The Oklahoma City Thunder’s cost-cutting measures continue.
Although this time, the Thunder are moving an integral piece to their contendership, and that’s all-world defender Lu Dort, who has been with the organization since signing as an undrafted rookie in 2019.
Dort is being traded from OKC to the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team deal, per Shams Charania of ESPN.
The deal will also see the Hawks send three second-round picks to the Thunder, as well as selling off 2024 No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher to the Dallas Mavericks, who are sending Ryan Nembhard — younger brother of Indiana Pacer guard Andrew Nembhard — to Atlanta.
OKC, which also traded Isaiah Joe to the Detroit Pistons and Aaron Wiggins to the Hawks this summer, ducked under the second apron for this coming season while adding seven second-round picks. This was a goal of theirs entering the off-season, given that Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren’s salaries were jumping from a combined $20.3 million to $83 million next season.
Dort, whose team option for $18.2 million for the 2026-27 season was accepted by the Thunder earlier this offseason, will effectively be an expiring contract for Atlanta this year, and a productive veteran on a mostly younger team.
On the court, the 27-year-old Dort — who is entering his eighth season — was fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2024-25 and named to the All-Defensive first-team.
That said, Dort won the 2025 title as a starting wing on OKC, the first since the franchise moved from Seattle following the 2007-08 season. Dort has been a fixture in OKC’s starting lineup since being a find following the 2019 NBA Draft, starting 423 of a possible 432 games in his career, along with all 54 of his playoff appearances.
Dort’s production has tailed off a bit, dropping to 8.3 points and 3.6 rebounds per contest and 34.4 percent shooting from three last season, down from never falling below double-digits since his rookie season, averaging 12.8 points in the five seasons prior, and as many as 17.2 with the rebuilding Thunder in 2021-22.
Atlanta already punting on Risacher is noteworthy, underscoring his underwhelming performance through two NBA seasons.
Risacher, who was second in Rookie of the Year voting in 2024-25, dropped from 12.6 to 9.6 points per game from his first two seasons, and stagnated in nearly every other category while struggling to land rotation minutes in Atlanta’s six-game playoff loss to the Knicks in Round 1 this past April.
Risacher only appeared in 22 minutes in the series, 20 of them in blowout losses.
By nature of being selected No. 1 overall, the 21-year-old French forward is due to make $13.8 million this season, which will increase to $17.4 million in 2027-28 if his fourth-year option is picked up by the Mavericks, the deadline of which will be on October 31.
The last No. 1 overall pick to have their fourth-year option declined was famous draft bust Anthony Bennett from the similarly lackluster 2013 NBA Draft class.
The last No. 1 overall pick who was given up on after two seasons did see his fourth-year option picked up: former 76er-turned-Orlando Magic guard Markelle Fultz, the top pick in 2017. With Fultz, his struggles were primarily due to injuries, and his fourth-year salary was $12.2 million in a non-second-apron era.
The aforementioned younger Nembhard proved to be a productive NBA player as an undrafted rookie last season, averaging 6.6 points and 5.3 assists while hitting 35.6 percent from deep, and even starting 27 of his 60 appearances for the Mavs.
Nembhard initially played on a two-way contract but was converted to a standard deal during the season. He will make $2.15 million in 2026-27 before entering free agency after the season.
