The Oklahoma City Thunder have agreed to trade defensive stopper Luguentz Dort to the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team deal that moves three second-round picks to Oklahoma City, former No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher to the Dallas Mavericks and guard Ryan Nembhard to Atlanta, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
As Charania explains, the deal is yet another executed by OKC this summer that prioritizes salary cap flexibility and future draft capital.
Oklahoma City has now acquired seven second-round picks while going under the second apron and shedding $200 million this offseason via the trades of Dort, Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins.
Rather than simply declining Dort’s $17.7 million team option to save money, the Thunder picked it up, acquired three future assets, created a $17 million trade exception and placed their 2025 championship stalwart in position for a long-term deal in Atlanta which was not viable with Oklahoma City.
Dort, 27, was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team during OKC’s championship-winning 2024-25 season. In 69 appearances this past season, he averaged 8.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 0.9 steals per game. Over seven seasons in OKC, Dort averaged 11.6 points per game while shooting 35.8% from beyond the 3-point arc.
Risascher, 20, averaged 9.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.9 steals and 22.4 minutes per game over 67 appearances with Atlanta this past season. The 6-foot-8 forward also shot 36.8% from behind the 3-point line.
Nembhard, 23, was a rookie this past season in Dallas. Over 60 appearances, he averaged 6.6 points, 5.3 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 19.5 minutes per game.