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The shuffling of sneakers disrupted the silence of a small room inside the OKC Thunder's practice facility on May 31.
Lu Dort had just arrived for his end-of-season media availability, less than 12 hours after OKC fell to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals. And the somber guard fielded the first few questions with a straight face and crossed arms that rested on the table.
But it wasn't until Dort was asked about his time in OKC that he sat back in his seat, so as to see the bigger picture. Even the all world defender, known for not letting anything get past him, couldn't keep a smile from slipping through the cracks of his hardened exterior.
There was simply too much joy when thinking about his journey with the Thunder. One that took him from an undrafted rookie in 2019 to an NBA champion. One that was potentially nearing its end, as Dort entered the summer with a $17.2 million team option on his contract.
"Just imagining me at 20 years old when I came here and the person I am today, it's totally different," Dort said on May 31. "Just the way that this organization shapes you on the court and off the court as a man, how to be professional and also just the love that we get from this city and our fans. There's nowhere I go around the city where I don't get reminded that I'm a Thunder player and people are so happy to see me. It's been amazing."
More: OKC Thunder trades Lu Dort to Atlanta Hawks in three-team deal for draft picks
That journey reached its end Sunday, as OKC traded Dort to the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team deal that ESPN's Shams Charania first reported.
OKC will receive three second-round picks from Atlanta, which will receive Dort and Dallas Mavericks guard Ryan Nembhard. Dallas will receive Atlanta forward Zaccharie Risacher.
It's the latest in a series of offseason deals by OKC, which also traded Aaron Wiggins to Atlanta and Isaiah Joe to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for two second-round picks apiece. That helped the Thunder reduce its payroll and luxury tax penalties by over $300 million and get under the second apron.
Dort was the longest-tenured Thunder player. He was there when the franchise started its youth movement in 2019 by trading away Russell Westbrook and Paul George. And when OKC struggled to hold its own against the heavyweights of the NBA, he was there to fight back.
He was The Dorture Chamber. The punisher of those who picked on his basketball brethren. The tone setter for the toughness that's now synonymous with this era of Thunder basketball.
“His fearlessness and his physicality, it’s been incredibly valuable," Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said of Dort on March 29. "At that time, we were kind of getting tossed around. We were like the little brother of the NBA. He was one of the guys whose physicality allowed us to stick our chest out, have some confidence and punch above our weight.
"We’ve gone from a team that felt like we were a younger sibling and teams would try to punk us and push us around to now we’re one of the most physical teams in the league. And he’s had his fingerprints all over both of those things.”
More: Lu Dort may strike fear into OKC Thunder opponents, but he's a 'good dude' outside of NBA
Dort became known for his grittiness, and his sandpaper play style was bound to rub some people the wrong way. There were those around the league who questioned if he crossed the line at times with his with physicality.
But nobody questioned Dort's competitiveness. Nobody questioned the motor of someone who traveled all the way from Montreal, Quebec, in pursuit of becoming a pro hooper. And nobody questioned the work ethic of someone who went from a non-threatening 3-point shooter to a marksman who hit 41.2% of his sky-scraping deep bombs in 2024-25.
Dort didn't just embody the physicality that OKC is known for. He embodied the pride it places in developing talent. There's arguably no better example in franchise history than him, a full-time starter on a team that went 100 games over .500 in the last two regular seasons (132-32).
And there have been plenty of other examples since then, from Wiggins to Joe to Ajay Mitchell to Jaylin Williams. That's why OKC is widely recognized as having one of the brightest futures in the league.
It's something Dort recognized during his end-of-season availability despite not knowing what was next for him.
"There's a future here, and all the guys here are bought into that," Dort said. "Now, we've just got to see what's going to happen. But whatever group is out there, they'll be ready to go and compete for the long run."
Dort won't be around after all to help the Thunder pursue its second championship next season, but he did more than enough during his time with the team.
He competed hard enough to establish OKC's physical play style. He worked tirelessly enough to serve as an example for day-by-day development. He was beloved enough to become an all-time fan favorite.
That should be enough to make anyone smile, even on a somber day like this.
More: Why Isaiah Joe will always call OKC 'home' even after Thunder-Pistons trade
Thunder will receive:
∎ Three future second-round draft picks
Mavericks will receive:
∎ Forward Zaccharie Risacher (No. 1 overall pick in 2024 NBA Draft who averaged 11.1 points and 3.7 rebounds playing 142 games in two seasons in Atlanta)
Hawks will receive:
∎ Forward Lu Dort (Signed with OKC as an undrafted free agent in 2019 and became a fan favorite for his tenacious defense, making All-NBA Defensive First Team in 2025. The Montreal native averaged 11.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in his seven seasons with the Thunder.)
∎ Guard Ryan Nembhard (Undrafted free agent averaged 6.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game as a rookie with Dallas last season.)
Justin Martinez covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Lu Dort leaves lasting legacy with OKC Thunder after trade to Atlanta Hawks
Continue reading...
Lu Dort had just arrived for his end-of-season media availability, less than 12 hours after OKC fell to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals. And the somber guard fielded the first few questions with a straight face and crossed arms that rested on the table.
But it wasn't until Dort was asked about his time in OKC that he sat back in his seat, so as to see the bigger picture. Even the all world defender, known for not letting anything get past him, couldn't keep a smile from slipping through the cracks of his hardened exterior.
There was simply too much joy when thinking about his journey with the Thunder. One that took him from an undrafted rookie in 2019 to an NBA champion. One that was potentially nearing its end, as Dort entered the summer with a $17.2 million team option on his contract.
"Just imagining me at 20 years old when I came here and the person I am today, it's totally different," Dort said on May 31. "Just the way that this organization shapes you on the court and off the court as a man, how to be professional and also just the love that we get from this city and our fans. There's nowhere I go around the city where I don't get reminded that I'm a Thunder player and people are so happy to see me. It's been amazing."
More: OKC Thunder trades Lu Dort to Atlanta Hawks in three-team deal for draft picks
That journey reached its end Sunday, as OKC traded Dort to the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team deal that ESPN's Shams Charania first reported.
OKC will receive three second-round picks from Atlanta, which will receive Dort and Dallas Mavericks guard Ryan Nembhard. Dallas will receive Atlanta forward Zaccharie Risacher.
It's the latest in a series of offseason deals by OKC, which also traded Aaron Wiggins to Atlanta and Isaiah Joe to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for two second-round picks apiece. That helped the Thunder reduce its payroll and luxury tax penalties by over $300 million and get under the second apron.
Dort was the longest-tenured Thunder player. He was there when the franchise started its youth movement in 2019 by trading away Russell Westbrook and Paul George. And when OKC struggled to hold its own against the heavyweights of the NBA, he was there to fight back.
He was The Dorture Chamber. The punisher of those who picked on his basketball brethren. The tone setter for the toughness that's now synonymous with this era of Thunder basketball.
“His fearlessness and his physicality, it’s been incredibly valuable," Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said of Dort on March 29. "At that time, we were kind of getting tossed around. We were like the little brother of the NBA. He was one of the guys whose physicality allowed us to stick our chest out, have some confidence and punch above our weight.
"We’ve gone from a team that felt like we were a younger sibling and teams would try to punk us and push us around to now we’re one of the most physical teams in the league. And he’s had his fingerprints all over both of those things.”
More: Lu Dort may strike fear into OKC Thunder opponents, but he's a 'good dude' outside of NBA
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Dort became known for his grittiness, and his sandpaper play style was bound to rub some people the wrong way. There were those around the league who questioned if he crossed the line at times with his with physicality.
But nobody questioned Dort's competitiveness. Nobody questioned the motor of someone who traveled all the way from Montreal, Quebec, in pursuit of becoming a pro hooper. And nobody questioned the work ethic of someone who went from a non-threatening 3-point shooter to a marksman who hit 41.2% of his sky-scraping deep bombs in 2024-25.
Dort didn't just embody the physicality that OKC is known for. He embodied the pride it places in developing talent. There's arguably no better example in franchise history than him, a full-time starter on a team that went 100 games over .500 in the last two regular seasons (132-32).
And there have been plenty of other examples since then, from Wiggins to Joe to Ajay Mitchell to Jaylin Williams. That's why OKC is widely recognized as having one of the brightest futures in the league.
It's something Dort recognized during his end-of-season availability despite not knowing what was next for him.
"There's a future here, and all the guys here are bought into that," Dort said. "Now, we've just got to see what's going to happen. But whatever group is out there, they'll be ready to go and compete for the long run."
Dort won't be around after all to help the Thunder pursue its second championship next season, but he did more than enough during his time with the team.
He competed hard enough to establish OKC's physical play style. He worked tirelessly enough to serve as an example for day-by-day development. He was beloved enough to become an all-time fan favorite.
That should be enough to make anyone smile, even on a somber day like this.
More: Why Isaiah Joe will always call OKC 'home' even after Thunder-Pistons trade
Lu Dort trade details
Thunder will receive:
∎ Three future second-round draft picks
Mavericks will receive:
∎ Forward Zaccharie Risacher (No. 1 overall pick in 2024 NBA Draft who averaged 11.1 points and 3.7 rebounds playing 142 games in two seasons in Atlanta)
Hawks will receive:
∎ Forward Lu Dort (Signed with OKC as an undrafted free agent in 2019 and became a fan favorite for his tenacious defense, making All-NBA Defensive First Team in 2025. The Montreal native averaged 11.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in his seven seasons with the Thunder.)
∎ Guard Ryan Nembhard (Undrafted free agent averaged 6.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game as a rookie with Dallas last season.)
Justin Martinez covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Lu Dort leaves lasting legacy with OKC Thunder after trade to Atlanta Hawks
Continue reading...
