There's a reason the Oklahoma City Thunder felt comfortable trading Luguentz Dort to the Atlanta Hawks this offseason. With luxury-tax and second-apron restrictions closing in, the organization obviously felt that some combination of Cason Wallace and Ajay Mitchell, both still playing on their rookie contracts, would be able to provide that same level of production and defensive intensity in the aggregate.
Considering the way Dort's offensive production fell off last season, it's even reasonable to think that Oklahoma City might be better off slotting in both of those players over the course of 2026-27. Wallace has much of the same perimeter defensive upside, while Mitchell's dynamic on-ball skill set gives the Thunder's offense a dimension that's typically hard to find in that sort of young guard.
But Dort provided this team with more than just perimeter defense and veteran experience. When he was at his best in Oklahoma City, he was also a highly consistent 3-point shooter and rebounder for his position. The Thunder need both of those things at their disposal to function in top form, and Dort's departure begs the question—will Mitchell, Wallace, or the starting lineup as a whole be able to account for those missing attributes?
One preseason game certainly isn't cause for concern, but the performance of the Thunder's young guards in that outing certainly serves to highlight the concern that continues to underlie Oklahoma City's decision to move on from Dort this offseason.
Moving on from Luguentz Dort was the right move, but the Thunder need to replace more than just his defense
Again, ceding the keys to some combination of Wallace and Mitchell before their rookie contracts come to an end is almost certainly the right move. Wallace has developed into one of the most disruptive perimeter defenders in the league, and granting Mitchell more extensive opportunities as an on-ball threat will be key to his development over the next two seasons.
Both players have the perimeter-shooting upside, moreover, to help replicate what the Thunder had at their disposal when Dort was in his prime during their championship run.
Here's the issue, though. If this team is going to be at its most potent in 2026-27, both Wallace and Mitchell are going to need to take strides almost immediately. Their first preseason outing against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday was less than encouraging.
Mitchell finished the night with three points, two rebounds, and five assists on 1-of-5 shooting from the field. Wallace finished with seven points, three rebounds and six assists on 2-of-8 shooting. The pair played just over 35 minutes combined over the course of the matchup.
This is, of course, a preseason game—and it was the first one with the full rotation in play for the Thunder, no less. Some hiccups are to be expected. But any time a championship-caliber team is undergoing this level of roster turnover, there's bound to be some pressure on the players expected to step into larger roles.
The 3-point shooting isn't the only issue here. While neither Wallace nor Mitchell are true knockdown shooters—with Wallace sinking 35.1% of his attempts from beyond the arc last season and Mitchell hitting 34.7%—the lack of an additional rebounding presence is also an underlying concern in Dort's departure.
Dort averaged four or more rebounds per game in three of his final five seasons in Oklahoma City—a number that was buoyed by his size and tenacity even with a monstrous frontcourt eating up the bulk of the opportunities. Both Wallace and Mitchell averaged more than three per game last season, but neither has the true size or strength that Dort had—and that made a difference in the Thunder's overall look on both ends of the court.
In short, it's reasonable to be optimistic that the Thunder will be better with Wallace and Mitchell taking on the bulk of the opportunities in the backcourt next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. But to take a seamless transition for granted is to fundamentally misunderstand what Dort provided this rotation with at his peak.
Mitchell and Wallace are each going to need prove that they can function in that capacity—or, at the very least, the rest of the rotation is going to need to make up for any deficits in the aggregate.
Add us as a preferred source on Google