The end came quietly enough, but the signs had been there for a while. After seven seasons in Oklahoma City, Lu Dort’s run with the Thunder is over, and his 2025-26 season looked like the last chapter of that story.
Dort finished the year averaging 8.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 0.9 steals while shooting 38.5% from the field, 34.4% from 3-point range and 75.9% at the free-throw line. His advanced numbers told a harsher story: a 52.4% true-shooting percentage, a 14.1% usage rate, 3.0 win shares and a 0.0 VORP.
He also ranked in the 27.0 percentile as a transition scorer and the 46.1 percentile as a spot-up scorer. He was set to make $17.7 million in 2026-27.
What made Dort such a success story in the first place was still easy to see in the bigger arc of his career. He went from undrafted rookie to All-Defense member and NBA champion, which is no small thing. But this past season, the Thunder got less and less out of him on both ends, and that decline played a part in why they didn’t get back to the NBA Finals.
The shooting never really came around. Dort took 5.4 threes a game and hit 34.4% of them, a clear step down from the 41.2% he posted the year before on 5.8 attempts per night.
The looks were mostly the right ones, but the shots just didn’t fall. As the season wore on, opposing defenses started treating him like the release valve, forcing the ball his way and daring him to shoot.
That slump was only part of the issue. His overall production slipped across the board, and he shot below 40% from the field despite being a full-time starter.
The Thunder’s lineup numbers also suffered when he was on the floor, and even if he never lost his spot in the rotation, his minutes did slide. He played 26.8 minutes per game, his lowest mark since his rookie season.
Defensively, the edge wasn’t quite the same either. Dort still had the reputation of a top-tier point-of-attack stopper, the kind of defender who could shadow the opponent’s best scorer and fight through screens without budging.
But this season, that version of him showed up only in flashes. There were still nights when he looked like himself, but they came less often than before.
That mattered for Oklahoma City, whose defensive identity has been built around pressure, turnovers and relentless perimeter work. Dort had been a big part of that formula. This year, though, more drivers got by him, and the Thunder’s defense looked a little more human than it had in recent seasons.
By the time the playoffs ended, the fit no longer looked sustainable for either side. That’s how things ended up this summer, when Oklahoma City sent Dort to the Atlanta Hawks in a salary dump.
Now he’s in a new place and facing a fresh set of questions. Atlanta gives him a reset, but not a safety net, especially with a contract year ahead. He’ll need to prove he can still be more than a rotating role player and show he can stick as a long-term starter.
The path is clear. Dort has to make his outside shots and get back to being a defensive wall. He won’t have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander creating the same kind of kick-out chances for him, but the expectation is that most of his offense will come off catch-and-shoot opportunities, with the occasional self-created jumper in scramble situations.
Defensively, there’s at least a chance for a cleaner setup. He’ll be paired with Dyson Daniels, and the two could form a strong defensive tandem for Atlanta.
Moving to the East should also ease some of the nightly burden, since he won’t be chasing quite as many premier scorers. And after a short offseason last summer, maybe a more normal break will help him recharge.
Still, the bottom line is simple: Dort has to become friendlier to the advanced metrics. He’s never been a favorite in that department, but another year with negative impact numbers and dark-red lineup data would make life a lot harder when the next contract comes around. The Hawks will give him some room, but not forever.
Final Grade: C-minus
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