The OKC Thunder made the tough decision to part ways with their longest-tenured member, Lu Dort, this offseason, sending him to the Atlanta Hawks in a fiscally driven trade exchange.
Considering it's been just over a month since his departure, emotions regarding the decision by Sam Presti and company are still rather fresh, and likely will be for quite some time -- after all, he was a beloved member of Oklahoma City's dynasty-pushing foundation.
Unfortunately, both fans and team personnel will need to put their mixed feelings on the trade aside sooner than they may have hoped, as Dort's set to head back to the Sooner State for his first shot at exacting revenge on Wednesday, November 18, the 15 game of the club's long and arduous 82-game campaign.
Lu Dort set to have revenge game against Thunder on November 18
Dort spent seven electrifying seasons with the Thunder, raising his status from an undrafted free agent back in 2019 to, come the 2025-26 season, arguably the league's most ferocious perimeter defender and a crucial part of the team's 2025 NBA Championship run.
Throughout his tenure, he established himself as an All-Defensive specimen and a legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidate (finished fourth in the running back in 2024-25), and finished with per-game averages of 11.6 points and 3.8 rebounds on 35.8 percent shooting from the floor.
From Sam Presti labeling him as one of the club's most "tremendous contributors to everything" to Cason Wallace branding him as "the best on-ball guard defender in the league," Dort was no mere contributor during his time with the Thunder -- he was a true staple in their success.
Now, due to second-apron concerns, Oklahoma City made the tough call of moving on from his final year under contract, shedding $17.7 million from their payroll and, in turn, ducking them under the dreaded tax threshold.
Lu gears up for a new opportunity with Atlanta alongside fellow discarded Thunder wing Aaron Wiggins, who was traded to the Hawks two weeks before the Dort deal.
November 18 will serve as a double-trouble revenge game of sorts and will be the first of two matchups between the Thunder and Hawks, with their second and final showdown slated for December 20.
Tip-off to the upcoming season is just over two months away. Everything you need to know for the 2026-27 season can be found here.
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