The Thunder are making another move to trim payroll, and this one sends Luguentz Dort to Atlanta in a three-team deal that also lands Zaccharie Risacher in Dallas.
According to Shams Charania of ESPN, Oklahoma City is sending Dort to the Hawks in exchange for three second-round picks. Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported the Thunder’s return as Chicago’s 2027 second-round pick, via Dallas, plus the two most favorable second-rounders in 2031 and 2032, both via Atlanta. Oklahoma City will also generate a $17.72MM trade exception tied to Dort’s outgoing salary.
The deal does more than just add draft capital for the Thunder. Charania said it moves Oklahoma City comfortably below the second tax apron and takes a meaningful chunk out of the team’s projected luxury tax bill. The Thunder had already exercised Dort’s $17.7MM option last month, and now they’re turning that contract into three more second-rounders.
This is the latest in a string of cost-cutting moves for Oklahoma City. Earlier this month, the team sent Isaiah Joe to the Pistons for two second-round picks and moved Aaron Wiggins to the Hawks for two second-rounders.
For Atlanta, Dort gives the roster another rugged perimeter stopper. Charania indicated the Hawks believe there may be a longer-term fit here.
The 27-year-old small forward has been a mainstay in the Thunder’s starting five for the last seven seasons, made All-Defensive first team, and was part of Oklahoma City’s 2025 championship run. Atlanta had been hunting for wing help and looked at other options before settling on Dort, according to Charania.
The Hawks also send Ryan Nembhard to Atlanta as part of the mechanics of the trade, with sources telling ESPN that Dallas is sending him to the Hawks. Nembhard is heading into his second season and could help behind rookie Kingston Flemings and veteran CJ McCollum, who is more of a scorer than a playmaker.
Even so, his spot is not guaranteed, since Atlanta will have 17 players on standard deals after the trade. Nembhard is owed a guaranteed $2.15MM next season.
Dallas, meanwhile, gets the biggest name in the deal. The Mavericks are taking on Risacher, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft, and will use their existing $20.9MM traded player exception to absorb his $13.8MM contract, according to Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron. If Dallas picks up his fourth-year option, Risacher will be owed $17.4MM in 2027/28.
Gozlan projects the Mavericks to sit $2.3MM below the luxury tax line once everything is finalized. Dallas will still have 16 players on standard contracts after the trade becomes official.
From a roster-building standpoint, it’s a classic buy-low swing for the Mavericks. They’re giving up a second-round pick and Nembhard to get Risacher, a French small forward who went first in a draft class widely viewed as relatively weak.
In 142 games across his first two seasons, he averaged 11.1 points and 3.7 rebounds while shooting .457/.360/.686 in 23.6 minutes per game. His role dipped in year two, and he barely saw the floor for Atlanta in the 2026 playoffs, appearing in three games and logging 7.7 minutes per contest.
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