The OKC Thunder officially put an end to Lu Dort's time in the Sooner State on Sunday, as they traded him to Atlanta in a three-team deal that involved both the Hawks and Dallas Mavericks.
While the loss of the veteran is certainly tough to see, considering it has now increased Oklahoma City's offseason savings to $90 million and, in turn, pushed the club below the second apron, the logic behind such a move is obviously sound.
Now, though most may be fixated on the three future second-round picks the Thunder netted in return for Dort's services, in truth, the biggest asset attained by OKC and, quite possibly, any team in the exchange is the lucrative $17.7 million trade exception it's now created.
Such a luxury, abbreviated as TPE, is given to a team that trades away a player with a certain salary and either brings back someone at a lower salary or for mere draft picks. The exception allows teams to trade for players without sending back matching salary and without having it impact their personal salary cap.
With this, the Thunder now essentially have somewhat of a voucher, if you will, that could be used to absorb another player's contract via trade at any point between now and, presumably, the February deadline.
Given the obscene amount of injuries OKC has endured over the past few years, this kind of asset could come in handy should health woes plague this title-hopeful squad in 2026-27.
Thunder have an absurd amount of second-round picks at their disposal
As noted, the Thunder landed three second-round picks in this deal that sent Dort to the Hawks. This offseason alone, when taking both the Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe deals into account, Sam Presti has brought back the rights to seven total second-rounders since the end of their 2026 playoff run.
However, the buck doesn't stop just there.
With the new CBA, second-round picks have become quite valuable when it comes to keeping a team's payroll down while still having the opportunity of snatching up quality draft prospects.
Already, the Thunder have had a ton of success finding diamonds in the rough late in the draft process, with guys like Ajay Mitchell and the recently departed Wiggins serving as highlight examples.
With this, it should come as no surprise that, as a result of their wheeling and dealing ways over the years, Oklahoma City has well north of 20 second-round picks coming their way over the next several draft cycles.
Talk about planning ahead!
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