Last week, the OKC Thunder made the tough decision to move on from long-tenured guard Lu Dort, sending him down to Atlanta in a three-team deal that brought three second-round picks back in return.
In the aftermath of the trade, general manager Sam Presti revealed that parting ways with Dort was strictly "a financial decision," saying his departure "will allow us to make more basketball-related decisions over the next several years."
Needless to say, the Thunder clearly have some serious plans for the makeup of their roster moving forward, ones that will require ample salary space in order to come to fruition.
Because of this, it's safe to assume that even if Oklahoma City did hold onto Dort for the 2026-27 season, it would have likely been his last with the team. His contract would have been up at the end of the campaign anyway, and with guys like Cason Wallace, Ajay Mitchell, and Jared McCain already in tow, there would have been no logical need to re-up with his services.
The Hawks, however, seem to be singing a much different tune about their desire to hold onto the veteran defenseman, as HoopsHype's Michael Scotto recently reported that the club is now aiming to extend Dort thanks to the nearly $50 million in salary cap space they've created for next summer.
Thunder may have settled on trading Lu Dort to Hawks
Though Dort may be on the verge of getting what he presumably covets in a new long-term contract, the same unfortunately can't be said about the Thunder when it comes to their initial trade desires.
According to NBA insider Brian Windhorst, OKC was trying to field offers for the All-Defensive talent with the goal of landing a first-round pick in exchange.
Along with the Hawks, Oklahoma City held trade talks with the Los Angeles Lakers, Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors, and Miami Heat, according to HoopsHype.Â
In the end, of course, the Thunder opted to go with Atlanta's offer of a trio of future seconds, a move many suspect to be expedited by Presti's aim of ducking below the second apron.
Frankly, it's rather unfortunate that the Thunder were pigeonholed into striking on this particular move due to something like financial hardships.
Had this not been a factor at play, perhaps Oklahoma City's storied front office could have worked their wheeling and dealing magic as they have many times in the past and held out for a trade that could have significantly helped improve the team's roster right away.
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