In a summer filled with saying goodbyes, perhaps the toughest one happened last. Earlier this offseason, the Oklahoma City Thunder traded Lu Dort to the Atlanta Hawks for three future second-round picks. The cost-cutting move saved them a boatload of money in financial penalties.
Alas, the writing was on the wall for a while. Even before the summer began. Dort had regressed across the board. His point-of-attack defense dulled out and his outside jumper steadily declined in both percentage and volume. Even though he remained a full-time starter, his playing time dwindled.
In some of his first public comments since Dort was traded, he posted a highlight video of himself working out in Hawks gear. In the Instagram post, he talked about the next chapter of his NBA journey as he joins the Hawks in a contract year.
“It feels good, bro. Excited, bro,” Dort said. “New chapter. New opportunity.”
By the end of the 2026 NBA playoffs, the Thunder had to obviously move on from Dort. Both for financial and basketball reasons. Cason Wallace is ready for a larger role. He had a breakout third season as a first-time All-Defense member. Ajay Mitchell will also demand more shot attempts.
One of the cleanest ways to cross off both goals? Moving on from Dort. That’s why — even after the Thunder picked up his 2026-27 $17.7 million team option — the cost benefits leaned on moving on from the longtime starter. Even if it was an emotional gut-punch move to make.
Dort spent the first seven seasons of his career in OKC from 2019-26. He was tied with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the longest-tenured Thunder player. Only those two guys on the roster could confidently say they saw the Thunder go from a forgettable rebuild to a dominant 2025 NBA champion. But that’s how the NBA business goes. Can’t keep the same group of guys forever.
Now, he joins the Hawks. It will be interesting to see if he remains a starter. Penciling things out, he might be stuck in a reserve role as CJ McCollum, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels and Jalen Johnson all have better cases to be in the starting lineup.
Either way, Dort must have a bounce-back year. For him, that likely includes returning to being one of the top perimeter defenders. Atlanta is likely daydreaming of his defensive pairing with Daniels and how both All-Defense members could complement each other. He should also hope to see his 3-point percentage numbers enjoy a nice bump-up. Nobody is expecting a sizzling 40% shooter, but he can’t be a detriment in the halfcourt.
Dort is one of OKC’s best developmental success stories of all time. There’s a solid argument to be made that the Thunder should retire his No. 5 jersey. He was a championship starter and helped define their league-best defense over the last two years. That said, he must flip the page and refocus on getting his NBA career back on track. A fresh start on the Hawks should help with that.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: ‘New chapter’: Lu Dort gives first reaction to joining Hawks
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