Early Signs Point to Atlanta Keeping Lu Dort Long-Term, But There Is A Big Risk Involved

The Atlanta Hawks made a big move on Sunday, acquiring Lu Dort and Ryan Nembhard in a three-team deal that also involved the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Dallas Mavericks.

Atlanta was already in a roster crunch before the trade, and that remains the case since they acquired two players in this trade and only sent one out. Atlanta currently has 17 players on its roster and the limit is 15 during the regular season.

Atlanta Hawks President of Basketball Operations Onsi Saleh prioritizes having optionality and flexibility with his roster and he did that with this trade. The Hawks could potentially have a lot of cap space next summer due to the amount of expiring contracts they have on their roster, but they could also use those during the season if a star-level player became available and they fit Atlanta's timeline.

Dort, Nembhard, CJ McCollum, Jock Landale, Mouhamed Gueye, and potentially Devin Carter and Buddy Hield are all expiring contracts and none of them are locks to be with Atlanta beyond this season, but some early intel suggests the Hawks might be leaning toward keeping Dort.

In a recent report, Hoopshype insider Michael Scotto mentioned that the Hawks would like to keep Dort beyond this season, while also mentioning the teams Atlanta had to beat out to acquire Dort from the Thunder:

"While Dort is on an expiring $17.22 million contract, the Hawks want to keep the Canadian swingman beyond this upcoming season, league sources told HoopsHype.

Several teams expressed trade interest in acquiring Dort before he was traded to Atlanta, including the Los Angeles Lakers, Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors, and Miami Heat, league sources told HoopsHype."

Will the Hawks extend Dort?

Luguentz Dort Oklhaoma City Thunde — May 30, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) reacts in the second quarter against the San Antonio Spurs during game seven of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

I think that it is far too early to predict whether or not the Hawks will extend Dort.

I think that is going to depend on a number of factors. How does Dort play during the season? If he turns around his game on offense and remains an elite perimeter defender, I think he could very well be back. He fits on the Hawks timeline and is not going to be a prohibitive salary.

The most unpredictable part of this equation is what star players could be available either during the season or next summer.

The Hawks have the ability to get up to any salary number in the NBA with the expiring contracts they have, plus Atlanta has all of their draft selections moving forward after the 2027 draft. If the Hawks think they are ready to make a big move for a star, Dort's salary could be involved at the trade deadline.

If a move does not happen during the season, the Hawks could wait and see if anyone becomes available during the summer. While Atlanta does not need to rush anything while building their team, Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Onyeka Okongwu are all on favorable contracts and the Hawks might need to take advantage of that before those players earn pay raises.

The Hawks coudl still extend Dort and have cap space left over to pursue a star player via free agency or trade, depending on the number, but that is impossible to predict without knowing how Dort performs this season. However, expiring contracts are valuable and if Atlanta decides to go the cap space route next summer, they will lose the ability to include those players in deals.

The Hawks have the optionality and flexibility they desire, but they would lose some of that if they extended Dort either now or in the offseason. That is the big risk they would take in re-siging him, but if he proves to be valuable to the team, Saleh and the front office won't hesitate to bring him back.

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