Thunder trade Lu Dort to Hawks; former No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher heads to Mavericks in 3-team deal
The Oklahoma City Thunder are trading forward Lu Dort to the Atlanta Hawks, per ESPN's Shams Charania.
It is a three-team deal that will see former No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher head to the Dallas Mavericks and three second-round picks going back to Oklahoma City.
Here are the complete trade terms:
Thunder receive:
3 second-round picks
Mavericks receive:
F Zaccharie Risacher
Hawks receive:
F Lu Dort
G Ryan Nembhard
Dort has been in the league since 2019. The 27-year-old had spent his entire career with the Thunder, winning the 2025 NBA Finals. Dort is known for his defense, and he was named to the NBA's All-Defensive First Team in 2025.
The forward played in 69 games last season and averaged 8.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 26.8 minutes per game.
Risacher was the first overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft by Atlanta. The forward played internationally leading up to the draft.
As a rookie in the 2024-2025 season, he played in 75 games for the Hawks, starting 73 of them. Risacher averaged 12.6 points and 3.6 rebounds as a rookie and earned NBA All-Rookie First Team honors.
His production took a step back last season. The 21-year-old played in 67 games, only starting 46. He averaged two fewer minutes per game. As a result, Risacher averaged 9.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 22.4 minutes per game.
He now gets a fresh start in Dallas alongside a young core led by reigning Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg.
Nembhard is the younger brother of Andrew Nembhard, who plays for the Indiana Pacers. The younger Nembhard went undrafted in 2025, but landed with the Mavericks.
As a rookie, he saw action in 60 games, making 27 starts. Nembhard averaged 6.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 19.5 minutes per game. The guard shot 41.5% from the field, including 35.6% from beyond the arc.
Outside of the players involved, Charania's reporting expanded on the non-player aspects of this trade.
OKC picked up Dort's player option worth $17.7 million and then flipped him for three draft picks. The Thunder have now acquired seven future second-round picks this offseason, created a $17 million trade exception and managed to shed $224 million in payroll.
Even after acquiring two new players, the Hawks are projected to have more than $40 million in cap space next offseason. Atlanta finished last season 46-36, despite trading star point guard Trae Young to the Washington Wizards.
These moves will help not only set up the franchise for the future but also fill some holes on the wing, like adding Dort's defensive presence, for the upcoming season.
