The OKC Thunder agreed to send Lu Dort to the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team trade on Sunday.
OKC will receive three second-round picks from Atlanta, which will receive Dort and Dallas Mavericks guard Ryan Nembhard. Dallas will receive Atlanta forward Zaccharie Risacher.
It’s the latest in a series of offseason moves by OKC, which also traded Aaron Wiggins to Atlanta and Isaiah Joe to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for two second-round picks apiece. It then selected Aday Mara (pick No. 12), Bennett Stirtz (No. 16) and Otega Oweh (No. 41) in the 2026 NBA Draft.
After attending Las Vegas Summer League, OKC executive vice president and general manager Sam Presti caught up with The Oklahoman while traveling to discuss the franchise’s offseason moves.
Here’s what Presti had to say:
We haven’t been able to speak to you about the Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins departures yet. What is the lasting impact of players like Isaiah and Aaron on the program?
Presti: Both guys left tremendous legacies with our organization. They were selfless and committed to the team, and their personal and competitive character was inspiring. We are all going to miss them, and I’m very confident that they will excel with their new teams. It wasn’t easy to see them depart, but I think we should be grateful to have known what it’s like to have such great professionals amongst us. Without them, we simply don’t have the success we have enjoyed the last several years.
You said at your season-ending press conference that the second apron wouldn’t prevent you from keeping this version of the Thunder together. But if we saw changes, it would be finances that would force a transaction, like the one we saw with Lu Dort. Is that still the case?
Presti: Yes, that’s accurate. We were comfortable being over the second apron with this team and how we were uniquely constructed. We have been consistent with that view for a few years now.
This was a financial decision. The impression I have been given is that the savings generated this summer, and from being out of the tax the last several years, will be re-allocated to future teams. Along with other new well-documented revenue streams, this will allow us to make more basketball-related decisions over the next several years.
We have a team that is capable of contention. And as I understand it, the decisions this summer have positioned us financially to maintain a team of this caliber.
Losing a player like Lu who you have seen grow from a two-way player to a starter on a team that is 100 games over .500, won a championship and went to two Western Conference finals in the last two years, how will a change like this affect the rest of the roster and your outlook this season?
Presti: I remember meeting Lu at the practice facility door the morning after he went undrafted. I showed him around and we had breakfast together. He didn’t touch his food. I just remember saying to him that this was the beginning and not the end, that on draft night things are aligned vertically 1-60, but the morning after everyone is lined up side by side horizontally at an imaginary starting line. It’s safe to say that he will finish amongst the top of that race. I love the guy, love what he’s about and we will miss him.
Losing Lu will certainly have an effect on the team, but I think we are positioned well to reimagine ourselves and continue to find new avenues to win. Cason (Wallace) and Ajay (Mitchell) will have more responsibility, as will others. But, as has always been our belief, it is necessary to embrace change and not fall victim to trying to imitate ourselves or our previous play style.
As we do at the beginning of each season, we need to give the team space to discover itself once again. Losing three tremendous players and professionals is not easy and our margin for error will be smaller than it has been for some time, but I’m excited to see how we come together.
Justin Martinez covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
