The Thunder have completed a shocking trade that sends Lu Dort to the Hawks for three second-round picks. This three-team trade also involved the Mavericks, who received the former No. 1 overall pick from the 2024 NBA Draft, Zaccharie Risacher.
The 27-year-old Lu Dort had to bid farewell to his close friends, his teammates, whom he played alongside over the last seven years, during which they also won a championship.
Several players on the Thunder, including former All-Star Jalen Williams, took to social media to express their gratitude to Dort as they said their goodbyes to him.
Isaiah Hartenstein, Chet Holmgren, Jaylin Williams, Jalen Williams, and Ajay Mitchell all went on Instagram to post a story with Dort and their reaction to the trade.
“Rough Day… Go kill 5,” wrote Jalen Williams from two separate accounts on Instagram.
“Who’s gonna crash with me now?” Jaylin Williams wrote.
Ajay Mitchell put up a heartbroken sign while Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren both used the fingers-crossed emojis, signalling their hope for a positive outcome of this trade.
Lu Dort’s (former 😞) teammates showing love to their brother. pic.twitter.com/0fw9UifkR5
— Alex Roig (@AlexRoig_NBA) July 19, 2026
Even David Holt, the Mayor of Oklahoma City, had a detailed message for Dort as he bid farewell to the Canadian defensive guard with a post on X.
“At 1 a.m. on July 6, 2019, the news broke that the Thunder were trading Paul George. It was evident within hours that this was the end of an era in Thunder history and that this blockbuster trade would also lead to the departure of our beloved Russell Westbrook.”
“About twelve hours later, at 1:30 p.m., the Thunder put out a press release announcing that they were signing an undrafted rookie named Luguentz Dort. On this emotional day for Thunder fans, the timing was perhaps less than ideal.”
“The announcement of Dort’s signing may have seemed a jarring answer to the news of the morning. What anyone could hardly have imagined was that the seeds had just been planted for our city’s first championship.”
“Four days after Dort’s signing, on July 10th, the Paul George trade was officially announced by the teams involved, and a second Canadian – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – officially joined Lu to begin a new chapter in Thunder history. Fans will have to be forgiven for failing to realize that four days in July 2019 had just secured the core of a championship team.”
“Lu would become the longest-tenured player on the 2025 NBA Champions and would set the tone early for the team’s rise to that moment, starting with a spirited breakout performance in the 2020 playoffs.”
“Lu Dort was not just one of the 18 young men who brought Oklahoma City its first title in 2025; he was a key leader and contributor and always a fan favorite for his suffocating defense on opponents.”
“The Dorture Chamber will long live in Thunder mythology. Lu Dort will long live in Oklahoma City history. We wish Lu Dort all the best in this next chapter of his professional basketball journey, and he will always have a home in OKC,” the Mayor concluded.
Clearly, this has left a big hole in the heart of Oklahoma City, not just the Thunder franchise. But it seems that his trade was not solely for money reasons, but also for his fit with the team, looking at the landscape of the league.
Through his seven-year stint with the Thunder, Dort averaged 11.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists while shooting 40.5% from the field and 35.8% from the three-point line.
In the Western Conference Finals against the Spurs, Dort had become borderline unplayable. He is an inconsistent shooter who only contributes on defense. So while it may have been driven by money reasons, this surely could lead to improvements for the Thunder.
Since the Thunder did not land any player in this trade, they now have one roster spot open. It will be fascinating to see if this leads to a roster improvement for the Thunder and who steps into Lu Dort’s shoes with the team as the defensive anchor on the floor.
