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One of the more fairly predictable moves to make finally happened this past Sunday. The Oklahoma City Thunder said goodbye to a longtime starter. They traded Lu Dort to the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team deal that fits the textbook definition of a salary dump.
In a summer filled with rolling back salary, the Thunder completed their third cost-cutting trade of the offseason. Aaron Wiggins was also sent to the Hawks. Isaiah Joe was dealt to the Detroit Pistons. In total, OKC netted seven second-round picks and fell below the second apron with all three departures.
Cool, I guess. Hooray to Clay Bennett and Thunder ownership for saving themselves some money. If you feel icky about these moves, I don't blame you. Even if they were smaller departures in the grand scheme of things, just the exercise of salary-dumping amid a championship window is a real bummer. OKC juxtaposed its on-court success over the last two years with this offseason's transactions.
We'll see if the moves will pay dividends over the next couple of summers. Cason Wallace and Ajay Mitchell are due big paydays. But for now, the Thunder had to kick out several of their best developmental stories because of their financial crunch. With Dort being the biggest loss.
All that said, I believe the Thunder should retire Dort's No. 5 jersey.
Dort is one of OKC's best developmental stories ever. And perhaps the best one? He spent seven years on the Thunder from 2019-26. Any OKC stat you look up, he'll surely be near the top. It didn't take him long to grab onto a starting spot. It also didn't take long for him to gain a reputation as one of the league's best perimeter defenders.
In that time, Dort saw the Thunder grow from a rebuild to a promising team to an eventual NBA champion. Alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, nobody else from OKC could truly say they were there from the start. Along the way, his personal ascension was tied to their rapid ascension up the NBA ladder.
Starting as an undrafted two-way player, Dort finished his rookie season as a household name. He popped off on the national stage when he locked down James Harden in their 2020 NBA Bubble playoff series. He scored 30 points in a Game 7 loss — joining LeBron James and Kobe Bryant as the only players in NBA history to score 25-plus points in a Game 7 at 21 years old or younger. I'm sure you've seen that graphic plenty of times over the years.
From there, Dort carved out his NBA role. He went from an erratic role player who was willing to chuck up a ton of shot attempts to a downsized demon who could stop the league's best perimeter scorers. Luka Doncic called him a top-three defender once upon a time. Donovan Mitchell has never looked like an NBA superstar against OKC over the years. Eventually, he discovered his 3-point shot. He tamed his moon-ball outside jumper and became a quality 35.8% shooter in his seven seasons in OKC. With a peak of 41.2% from 3 on 5.8 attempts in their championship season.
And then there are the playoff heroics. There's a reason why Dort gained the 'Big Game Lu' moniker. In situations where most role players would succumb to the pressure, he fully embraced the chaos. No better example than his 3-point barrage saving OKC's championship ambitions in a Game 5 win over the Denver Nuggets during the 2025 NBA playoffs.
At the end of the day, sports are about stories. There's a reason why NBA fans become hyperfixated on the league year-round. The basketball itself is the main selling point, but the characters, storylines and arcs keep folks' attention throughout. For OKC, you can't tell its story without mentioning Dort.
The one-time All-Defense member embodies everything about the Thunder and their championship squad. OKC is known as one of the best developmental teams in the league. The receipts back it up. When they won the Larry O'Brien trophy, only one player was a top-five pick — Chet Holmgren. The rest of the roster was filled with either late lottery picks or second-round and undrafted gems.
Seeing Dort grow into an NBA champion starter had everybody within the Thunder gush over his development. From Sam Presti to Mark Daigneault to Gilgeous-Alexander. He helped nurture a culture that has been at the top of the NBA's defensive leaderboard over the last two seasons. That's the side of the ball that helped them bring home one Larry O'Brien trophy and almost brought home another.
When you win an NBA championship, that team is immortalized forever in its market. Especially when you're the first one in franchise history. The 2024-25 Thunder are one of the greatest teams in league history. You celebrate that type of team for the rest of your lifetime. The highest honor in doing that? Jersey retirements.
Of that group, I believe four guys are locks to get their jersey retired by the Thunder — Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Holmgren and Dort. Gilgeous-Alexander is pretty self-explanatory. Williams and Holmgren are All-NBA talents who should continue to rack up accolades. And then there's Dort. He was there from the start. And his journey makes his contributions a little more sentimental than your average role player.
As we've seen with Nick Collison and plenty of other examples across the league, you don't need to have a robust Hall-of-Fame career filled with All-NBA selections and accolades to get honored by the franchise you played your best years for. Plenty of other reasons suffice to see your jersey number hang in the rafters with other all-time greats.
Spending seven seasons on the Thunder, Dort has the story, longevity and success — both individually and as a team — to garner a jersey retirement ceremony for when he eventually hangs up the sneakers. He's the type of guy you refer to for future generations of OKC players that if you put the work in and do everything right, you can reach the pinnacle of the sport. Even if your start was as modest as going undrafted and being in the G League.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Why OKC Thunder should retire Lu Dort's No. 5 jersey
