Revised Atlanta Hawks Starting Lineup and Rotation Projection After Lu Dort Trade

How does the acquisition of Lu Dort change the Atlanta Hawks lineup and rotation?

Feb 7, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort warms up before the start of a game against the Houston Rockets at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

I wrote an updated starting lineup projection for the Atlanta Hawks after Summer League had concluded, and that projection barely lasted an hour.

Soon after that was written, Atlanta pulled off a trade that landed them Lu Dort from the Oklahoma City Thunder and Ryan Nembhard from the Dallas Mavericks, while sending out Zaccharie Risacher to Dallas in the three-team deal.

This trade is big enough to where it is going to change the Hawks rotation and potentially their starting lineup. Let's breakdown how Dort and Nembhard are going to fit in with this roster.

Note, the Hawks have 17 players on their roster and will have to cut that down to 15 before the season begins. At least two of these players are not going to be on the team when the season begins.

Starting Lineup

G- CJ McCollum
G- Nickeil Alexander-Walker
G/F- Dyson Daniels
F- Jalen Johnson
C- Onyeka Okongwu

I think there is a legitimate chance that Dort is going to enter the starting lineup for the Hawks after being traded for.

Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu, CJ McCollum, and Dyson Daniels are locks to be in the starting lineup and I think the last spot is going to come down to Dort and Alexander-Walker.

The main question that I think Atlanta needs to figure out is if Dort and Daniels can play together in the starting lineup. Dort is not as poor of a three-point shooter as Daniels is, but he does not provide much on the offensive end aside from being able to shoot and he had a down year on that end of the floor.

Defensively, I think there are not many duos that would be better on the perimeter than Dort and Daniels. After the 2024-2025 season, Daniels finished as the runner-up for Defensive Player Of The year, and Dort finished in 4th place. It is rare that a team has one defender that is in the running for the award, but now the Hawks have two of them.

If the Hawks started Dort and Daniels, they would be a tough team to play night in and night out on that end of the floor and make their opponents lives miserable.

On the other hand, I think the fact that Alexander-Walker is also a high-level defender and a better offensive player is going to make Atlanta stick with him in the starting lineup.

If Dort can't get back on track shooting, it would make him tough to play alongside Daniels, unless Daniels suddenly becomes a knockdown shooter overnight. Alexander-Walker saw exponential growth on the offensive end of the floor last season and had the best season of his career on the way to winning the NBA's Most Improved Player Award.

The Hawks could experiment and use different lineups with Dort and that flexibility is going benefit the team.

Top of the Rotation

G- Kingston Flemings
G/F- Luguentz Dort
G/F- Aaron Wiggins
C- Jock Landale

I think the Hawks have a really good top nine on their team after this trade.

Flemings, Wiggins, and Landale were locks to be to in the rotation before the trade, but after those top eight, it was tough to see who would step up and be a consistent part of the rotation.

The bench for the Hawks was a major problem, even when the Hawks were rolling after the All-Star Break and made the playoffs, but that should not be a problem this season. The Hawks are going to have defense, versatility, and floor spacing with these four players and they will make the Hawks a really formidable team night in and night out.

Fighting for playing time

F- Corey Kispert
G- Buddy Hield
G- Devin Carter
F- Zuby Ejiofor
F- Mouhamed Gueye
F- Asa Newell
G- Ryan Nembhard

It is likely that two of these players are going to not be on the roster when the season begins due to the Hawks being at 17 players already.

Kispert and Hield are going to have the hardest time getting on the court out of this group due to their defensive limitations.

Atlanta took a flier on Carter and his defensive acumen might land him on the court, but his offensive game and ability to stay healthy are going to be the difference between him being on the roster and not being on the roster.

Nembhard had a very nice rookie season with the Mavericks. He played in 60 games for the Mavericks last season as a rookie, averaging 19.5 MPG and averaged 6.6 PPG and 5.3 APG, shooting 42% from the field and 36% from three. He showcased enough talent where he looked like a real backup point guard and the Hawks could see what he brings to the roster.

Gueye received unfortunate injury news last week and will be re-evaluated in 3-4 months. That opens the door for Asa Newell and Zuby Ejiofor to earn more playing time and be the backup power forward to Jalen Johnson. The Hawks are building a team with a new identity based on toughness and defense and the Ejiofor is the exact kind of player who can bring that.

Developmental year

C- Henri Veesaar

Veesaar had a productive Summer League and has plenty of talent, but it will be tough to crack the rotation as a rookie and will likely spend the year in College Park in the G-League.