The Dallas Mavericks just made a move to land another former No. 1 overall pick to play alongside superstar forward Cooper Flagg — unfortunately they play the same position.
“BREAKING: The Oklahoma City Thunder trading All-Defensive wing Lu Dort to the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team deal that sends three second-round picks to OKC, former No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher to the Dallas Mavericks and Ryan Nembhard to Atlanta, sources tell ESPN,” ESPN’s Shams Charania wrote on his official X account on Sunday. “The Hawks now are teaming up a 27-year-old elite defender in Dort with Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker on the wings — and will have $40+ million in cap space next summer. Atlanta pursued several wings this offseason before landing Dort.”
Risacher, 6-foot-8 and 200 pounds, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft and signed a 4-year, $57 million rookie contract.
Through 2 seasons, Risacher has averaged just 11.1 points and 3.7 rebounds.
Lu Dort Considered 1 of NBA’s Elite Defenders
The Thunder, who were upset by the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, had until June 29 to decide if they will pick up the $17.7 million team option for NBA All-Defensive Team forward Lu Dort and the $28.5 million team option for center Isaiah Hartenstein.
While smaller team options for Ajay Mitchell ($2.3 million) and Kenrich Williams ($7.2 million) also await, it’s Dort and Hartenstein who need to be dealt with 1st.
The Thunder picked up both Dort and Hartenstein’s options, knowing Dort would be attractive trade bait for many teams.
Spotrac’s Keith Smith predicted Dort could end up being the odd man out headed into the final season of the 5-year, $82.5 million contract he signed in 2022.
“The Thunder are in an interesting spot with Dort (and their other two team option decisions),” Smith wrote. “If Oklahoma City picks up all of the options, they’ll be way past the second apron. Considering Dort’s play has slipped a bit, he’s probably the most likely to have his option declined. Maybe he comes back for less money, but he might be out of the picture in Oklahoma City entirely.”
NBA Fans Light Up Risacher’s Career
While the last 2 NBA Drafts in 2025 and 2026 have been chock-full of generational talents, the 2024 NBA Draft is likely going to be remembered as 1 of the worst in NBA history.
That’s with Risacher sitting at the very top.
“First pick getting traded for that is nasty,” Kenny Beecham wrote on X on Sunday. “Wow.”
“FIRST PICK TRADED FOR LU DORT OMFG THIS THE BIGGEST BUST OF ALL TIME,” X user Xan wrote on their official X account.
“Risacher gotta be one of the worst first overall picks ever,” Sleeper Rockets wrote on its official X account.
Teams Would Have Lined Up to Pay Lu Dort
The Thunder may have cost Dort big by not letting the 6-foot-4, 220-pound defensive stopper hit the free-agent market.
While Dort has a respectable career scoring average of 11.6 points, his offense took a noticeable dip in 205-26, when he averaged under double digits (8.3 points) for the 1st time since his rookie season in 2019-20.
Because Dort just turned 27 years old, teams are going to look at that regression as coming not so much from some decline in Dort’s skill but because of the emergence of guard Ajay Mitchell, who saw his scoring average leap up almost 10 points from his rookie year to 13.6 points in the regular season and 15.1 points in the playoffs.
“It seems unlikely that the Thunder can continue with Dort next season,” The Athletic’s John Hollinger wrote on June 16. “They have multiple players at his position who are both better and younger, the team is set to be $40 million over the projected luxury tax line, and Dort is coming off an off-year in which he was notably ineffective in the Western Conference finals.”
Trading Dort to the Hawks also does something important for the Thunder — it gets him out of the Western Conference.
Hawks Trade Former No. 1 Overall Pick for $82 Million NBA Champion