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For the first time in a couple of summers, the Oklahoma City Thunder went through some serious roster changes. The second apron haunts every contender as it serves as an NBA hard cap. It was their turn as they said goodbye to three familiar faces for financial flexibility.
The biggest loss? Lu Dort. He was traded to the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team deal. In return, the Thunder received three future second-round picks. Even after OKC picked up his $17.7 million 2026-27 team option, the writing was on the wall over an inevitable divorce between both sides.
It just made way too much sense — both in basketball and financial reasons — to move on from Dort. He spent seven seasons in OKC and worked his way up from an undrafted rookie to an All-Defense member and NBA champion. That said, this move helped the Thunder get below the second apron — buying them an extra year by kicking the can down the road.
On the court, Cason Wallace and Ajay Mitchell are licking their lips for more opportunities. Both players had breakout seasons last year. That's usually rewarded by adding more on their plate. With both having contract extensions due soon, OKC needs to go all in on their development. Removing Dort from the equation makes that a seamless process.
All that said, there's at least one guy who doesn't like the move for the Thunder. That's Draymond Green. The four-time NBA champion knows what it takes to win at the highest level for an extensive window in time. He helped the Golden State Warriors become the latest NBA dynasty. That said, he had a few problems with Dort's departure that he voiced on his podcast episode.
"Lu Dort's a big loss for OKC. He is one of their better defenders. He brings a bravado and a toughness to that group," Green said. "When you look at their roster now, at times it's going to put Jalen Williams on the best perimeter player on the opposing team. He's going to have to step up and take on that challenge a lot more than he's had to when Lu Dort was there."
That's a fair assessment. The Thunder didn't get much from Williams last season as he dealt with constant injuries. The last time he was healthy, he was the Scottie Pippen to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's MJ on their way to an NBA championship. The All-NBA talent was a defensive Swiss Army knife — guarding one through five with ease. That earned him an All-Defense nod.
The Thunder are expecting Williams to return to form. Last year was hopefully a hiccup. He'll be asked to matchup with some of the NBA's best perimeter scorers now — such as Luka Doncic. Those used to be Dort's old assignments. Now, things have changed. Green also isn't a high believer in another one of OKC's All-Defense talents.
"Cason Wallace is still a very good perimeter defender. But like I said, if you've got better guys, Lu Dort can guard bigger guys and he can guard smaller guys. I don't know that Cason Wallace has that versatility to where he can step up and guard bigger guys like Lu Dort could," Green said. "I think that's going to be something interesting as OKC continues to try to build a dynasty in their own right."
I guess we'll see if Green is right about Wallace. He's been a home-run addition for the Thunder in his three seasons. I think he's too talented a defender not to be able to scale up a bit. He flirted with leading the league in steals last season. But at 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, maybe he has a point. Regardless, I think OKC should easily replace Dort's production on both ends.
Dort is one of OKC's best developmental stories ever. He became a household name as one of the league's top perimeter defenders. All that said, he regressed on both sides of the court this past season. To the point that he was basically on the outside of the rotation by the end of the NBA playoffs. I think the Thunder are well-equipped to hand his responsibilities elsewhere on the roster.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: This 4-time NBA champion is not a fan of OKC Thunder moving on from Lu Dort
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