Could The Hawks Benefit From Adding Luguentz Dort In Free Agency?

With the OKC Thunder officially being eliminated at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs, they'll have to make several important decisions if they want to stay at the top of the Western Conference. One of the most obvious is to decline the team option on 3&D wing Luguentz Dort.

Dort was a vital piece of OKC's core during their Finals run, but the reality of the Thunder's financial picture will force them to move on. He didn't play well enough during the playoffs to justify a new contract and there will be several teams who should be interested in his services.

Based on their shortcomings last season, it would make sense for the Hawks to be one of those teams.

Why The Hawks Should Sign Lu Dort

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, NBA, Dort, Luguentz Dort, — Oct 25, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) fight for the ball during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Around this time last season, it was very easy to make a case for why Dort would have a lot of interest from other teams. He started all 23 games of the Thunder's championship run, shot a career-best 41.2% from deep on 5.8 attempts a night and provided excellent defense that earned him a spot on the All-Defense First Team and a fourth-place finish in the NBA Defensive Player of the Year race.

In the 2024-25 playoffs, he stepped up on both ends of the court numerous times for OKC. They wouldn't have won the championship without him sinking five threes against the Nuggets in Game 5. He was up and down throughout the Nuggets series, but he still stifled Jamal Murray and played great in the most pivotal game of the series. He also turned in great performances during Game 1 and Game 7 of the Finals.

Atlanta would not need him to always take on the toughest perimeter assignment. They have Dyson Daniels to occupy that role, and frankly, Daniels is a better defender than Dort. However, San Antonio's triumph over OKC and the depth of the Knicks shows that having one capable perimeter defender isn't enough. The combination of multiple defenders with length, physicality, and hustle is what slows down stars in the postseason and swings series.

In the playoffs, the Knicks shot 38% against the Hawks from deep. They conceded the sixth-fewest attempts from deep, but gave up the second-worst percentage from beyond the arc. That suggests New York's shooters were regularly able to take advantage of high-quality looks that the Hawks were conceding.

It shouldn't come as a surprise - the Hawks don't really have an abundance of perimeter defenders to throw at opponents. Nickeil Alexander-Walker is a passable defender, and Jalen Johnson has his moments, but it shouldn't be hyperbole to say that Dort would be the second-best defender on the Hawks right now.

Like it or not, the Eastern Conference has an abundance of great guards that are going to be threats for the Hawks in the postseason. Established stars like Donovan Mitchell, Tyrese Maxey, Cade Cunningham and Jalen Brunson are going to be at the top of the scouting report, but there's younger options that could pose threats to the Hawks as well like VJ Edgecombe and Kon Knueppel.

If the Hawks were able to move off the Corey Kispert contract to give Dort something in the $13-15 million range for multiple seasons, they'd be able to swap Kispert out for someone who can legitimately swing a playoff game in their favor on both ends of the court.

The Risks of Signing Dort

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, NBA, Dort, Lu Dor — Oct 17, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Vit Krejci (27) passes the ball around Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) during the second quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

For as good as Dort's 2024-25 playoffs have been, his 2025-26 playoffs have been dreadful. His minutes decreased throughout the postseason because he wasn't really contributing on either end of the floor. He was really good against Devin Booker in the first round of the postseason, shutting the Suns star down and holding him to an inefficient 21.3 points per game.

However, he wasn't really a factor in the Lakers series and actively hurt the Thunder against the Spurs. He put up a paltry stat line of 4.3 points, 3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists on 34.3/20/50 splits. That's downright horrible, and there's no way to argue against it.

Furthermore, Dort's physicality on defense does cross the fine line between physical and dirty. He's taken on the enforcer role against players like Nikola Jokic and even Booker, who tripped on Dort's leg in the series and had to leave the game with an ankle injury. It's easy to see why a lot of fans don't like the brand of defense that he plays.

If the price gets anywhere above $15 million, the Hawks shouldn't consider it. However, a soft market for Dort, given his reputation, the lack of teams with financial flexibility who also need his services, and his age (27 years old) might leave him open to taking less money over a longer-term commitment.

Atlanta can offer him a starting role as the SF starter in the regular season, depending on whether they want to run three-guard lineups with a re-signed CJ McCollum.

Even so, if they find a instant backcourt contributor with the No. 8 overall pick, they can bring Dort off the bench in hopes of improving their depth with players who can clearly play in the postseason. Being unplayable against arguably the best team in the NBA shouldn't be a prohibitive concern for a team that hasn't gotten out of the first round in five seasons.

If the Hawks want to preserve their future flexibility in the draft without crippling their cap space, they have to shop in the mid-level market of free agency. At the moment, there aren't a lot of players in that area with Dort's skills and resume. It'd be a missed opportunity if they didn't strongly consider the signing.

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