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In an offseason filled with cost-cutting moves, the Oklahoma City Thunder likely made their last one. They traded Lu Dort to the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team deal that netted them three future second-round picks. Of all the familiar faces they moved on from, he might be the toughest to sentimentally say goodbye to.
Dort was tied with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the longest-tenured Thunder player. He played seven seasons in OKC from 2019-26. In that time, he went from an undrafted rookie to an All-Defense member and NBA champion. Alas, the writing was on the wall for most of the year.
When the Thunder decided not to re-up Dort last summer, it was obvious his time there was near an end. That theory turned dogmatic when his playing time dwindled in the NBA playoffs. By the end of their postseason run, it was obvious Cason Wallace and Ajay Mitchell had usurped him in the totem pole.
It was a tough — but necessary — move to make. Both for basketball and financial reasons. Dort's departure saved OKC's ownership group a ton of money. North of $80 million in tax penalties. You kick a second-apron year down the road with this move. It also opened up minutes and opportunities for guys like Wallace and Mitchell — who are itching to put more on their plate.
Four days after the Thunder made the trade official, we're hearing more intel. In HoopsHype's Michael Scotto's latest notebook, the NBA insider revealed the short list of teams who also called OKC for Dort.
"While Dort is on an expiring $17.22 million contract, the Hawks want to keep the Canadian swingman beyond this upcoming season, league sources told HoopsHype," Scotto wrote. "Several teams expressed trade interest in acquiring Dort before he was traded to Atlanta, including the Los Angeles Lakers, Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors, and Miami Heat, league sources told HoopsHype."
That's interesting to hear. Considering the Thunder only acquired three measly second-round picks for Dort, seems like his market was pretty shallow. Makes sense; he's off a career-worst season as he regressed on both sides of the ball. The point-of-attack defense dulled out and he shot just 34.4% from 3. His playing time reflected his performance.
We kinda knew already about the Lakers and Nets. Both were previously reported as NBA teams who could add Dort. Luka Doncic has called him a top-three defender before. And there's the connection with Jordi Fernandez — who coached him on Team Canada over the last couple of summer events.
The Raptors and Heat are new names, though. But I guess it would've been a cool reunion to see Dort link up with Toronto. He grew up in Quebec, Canada. And for Miami, it desperately needs depth as the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade made them relinquish most of their promising players.
Oh well. Dort ends up on the Hawks. It'll be interesting to see his fit there. Especially since the roster is filled with quality role players. They're going all in on Jalen Johnson. Atlanta fully believes in its red-hot second-half run it had this past season. It pushed the New York Knicks to six games in their Round 1 playoff series. That turned out to be the toughest test for the eventual 2026 NBA champions.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Rumor: These 4 NBA teams almost traded for Lu Dort
