The Oklahoma City Thunder are continuing their strategy of cutting costs. This time, they’ve traded away a key player, Lou Dort, an exceptional defender who has been with the team since going undrafted in 2019.
Dort was traded to the Atlanta Hawks as part of a three-team deal. In this transaction, the Thunder received three second-round picks. Meanwhile, the Hawks sent the Mavericks the 2024 No. 1 overall pick, Zachary Lizacher, and traded Ryan Nembhard, the younger brother of Indiana Pacer guard Andrew Nembhard, to Atlanta.
This summer, the Thunder also dealt Isiah Joe to the Detroit Pistons and Aaron Wiggins to the Hawks. They seem focused on their financial plan, especially with the salaries of Jaylen Williams and Chet Holmgren projected to jump significantly next season.
Dort’s contract with Atlanta is set to expire this year, having been accepted as part of his $18.2 million team option for the 2026-27 season. He’ll now bring experience to a relatively young team.
At 27 and in his eighth year, Dort finished fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting for the 2024-25 season and earned a spot on the All-Defensive First Team. Back in 2025, he played a critical role in OKC winning its first title since relocating from Seattle. He has been a constant presence, starting in 423 of 432 possible games and participating in all 54 playoff games.
This past season, Dort’s stats dipped a bit to 8.3 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, shooting 34.4% from three. However, he averaged 12.8 points over the past five seasons and had a standout year in 2021-22, scoring 17.2 points for the rebuilding Thunder.
On the other hand, Atlanta has moved on from Lizacher, reflecting his less-than-exciting performance in his first two NBA years. Once a second-place finisher in Rookie of the Year voting for the 2024-25 season, his scoring tumbled from 12.6 points per game to 9.6, and he struggled to find consistent playing time, especially during Atlanta’s playoff series against the Knicks.
In that series, Lizacher only managed to play 22 minutes, primarily during lopsided losses.
As for Lizacher, being the 21st overall pick comes with a substantial salary, starting at $13.8 million this season, and set to rise to $17.4 million in 2027-28 if the Mavericks choose to exercise his fourth-year option by late October.
It’s interesting to note that the last No. 1 overall player to have that option declined was Anthony Bennett, a notorious draft mistake from 2013. Comparatively, Markelle Fultz, the 2017 top pick, managed to keep his option due to his injuries despite struggles.
Meanwhile, Nembhard, who played a productive season as an undrafted rookie, averaged 6.6 points and 5.3 assists and shot 35.6% from beyond the arc, starting 27 of 60 games for the Mavericks. Initially signed on a two-way contract, he transitioned to a standard deal during the season, earning $2.15 million for the 2026-27 season and poised to be a free agent afterward.
