Lu Dort traded to Hawks in three-team deal involving Zaccharie Risacher

Thunder Trade Lu Dort to Hawks in Three-Team Deal Involving Zaccharie Risacher

The Oklahoma City Thunder have initiated a significant roster transformation, trading longtime defensive cornerstone Lu Dort to the Atlanta Hawks. The transaction, confirmed Sunday, 19 July 2026, functions as a three-team deal involving the Dallas Mavericks. As part of the complex arrangement, the Hawks are sending former No. 1 overall draft pick Zaccharie Risacher to the Dallas Mavericks. The Hawks, meanwhile, receive both Dort and guard Ryan Nembhard from the Mavericks. The Thunder conclude the transaction by acquiring three second-round draft picks. The move marks the end of a seven-season tenure for the 27-year-old Dort in Oklahoma City. An undrafted success story, Dort evolved into an All-Defensive First Team selection and a starter for the 2025 NBA championship team. Over his career with the Thunder, Dort averaged 11.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists, while shooting 35.8% from three-point range on 5.6 attempts per game. The Thunder exercised the player option on his contract, valued at $17.7 million, prior to executing the trade. For the Thunder, the deal serves as a mechanism for significant financial restructuring. By offloading the salary, the franchise has managed to shed salary to get below the second apron. The team has now accumulated seven future second-round picks throughout the current offseason following three separate cost-cutting trades, which also saw Aaron Wiggins moved to the Hawks and Isaiah Joe sent to the Detroit Pistons. Following the departure of Dort, the organization is expected to elevate Cason Wallace, a 22-year-old who previously earned All-Defensive Team honors, into a full-time starting role. Risacher, the top pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, joins a Mavericks roster that already features 2011 top pick Kyrie Irving and the 2025 top pick Cooper Flagg. Risacher’s transition to Dallas follows two seasons in Atlanta, where he averaged 11.1 points. As a rookie in the 2024-2025 season, he played 75 games and earned NBA All-Rookie First Team honors, averaging 12.6 points and 3.6 rebounds. His production shifted during the most recent season, where he averaged 9.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 22.4 minutes per game across 67 appearances. Ryan Nembhard, who joins Atlanta as part of the exchange, averaged 6.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in 19.5 minutes per game during his rookie season with Dallas. He shot 41.5% from the field and 35.6% from beyond the arc. For the Hawks, the trade is part of a broader organizational shift. Despite finishing last season with a 46-36 record following the trade of Trae Young to the Washington Wizards, Atlanta remains in a flexible financial position, projected to have more than $40 million in cap space next offseason. The addition of Dort is intended to bolster the team’s wing defense for the upcoming season. The trade remains subject to final approval by the NBA.