Lu Dort’s goodbye video hit Oklahoma City right in the chest, and it also put a spotlight on the NBA’s new financial reality.
The former Thunder guard, now with the Hawks, shared a farewell clip filled with his best moments in Bricktown. For Thunder fans, it was the kind of sendoff that brings everything back at once - the growth, the loyalty, the payoff, and now the loss.
Dort wasn’t just another name moving on. He was the longest-tenured Thunder player, a familiar face through all of it, and his time with the blue and orange ended with an NBA Championship in 2024-25.
His exit, along with those of Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins, left Oklahoma City with a roster hit that had less to do with basketball than with contracts becoming expendable. Two of the three were homegrown, and all three had put in their time inside the organization. They were the kind of players teams dream about keeping: developed, trusted, and part of a group built from the ground up.
That’s what makes the whole thing sting. In a different era, all three might still be in place under Mark Daigneault. Instead, the second apron has changed the rules, and fans are left watching from a distance.
The league’s current collective bargaining agreement, put into effect in 2024, is already forcing contenders into painful decisions. The Celtics felt it first last offseason when they saw their roster broken up to avoid the harsh penalties tied to second-apron status. Now they are on the outside looking in at the championship race.
Oklahoma City went through its own version of that this summer. With its depth and a genius GM at the helm, the Thunder were able to get through it almost untouched. But the emotional cost still landed hard.
And that may be the real warning here. If the second apron keeps pushing teams to split up rosters that were assembled the right way, then more of these goodbyes are coming. Dort’s tribute could be the first of many, and the Thunder, along with other top teams, may face even tougher calls next year.
If the CBA keeps making it harder for teams to operate the right way, the criticism is only going to grow.
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