Should the Atlanta Hawks Extend Luguentz Dort Before the Season Begins Or Wait?

While the Atlanta Hawks have traded for Dort should they go ahead and get an extension done early?

Oct 25, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) controls the ball against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Since the season has ended, the Atlanta Hawks have been making some interesting adjustments to the roster and have seen the fanbase getting a bit anxious as a result. Recently, the Hawks acquired Luguentz Dort in a trade that seemed like a move to continue building on what they achieved last year.

To be specific, the Hawks had a major bounce-back to end the regular season and shocked many by how well they performed in the playoffs. However, that only lasted for a short period of time before the Hawks came up short and realized that they needed to keep building on that momentum.

So far this offseason, the Hawks have been able to acquire some young talent and have picked up three players with NBA Finals experience. Two of whom have come from the Oklahoma City Thunder, who were in the Finals just a year ago and have been dumping off some assets that the Hawks have been able to benefit from—specifically, Dort and Aaron Wiggins.

Dort, however, struggled throughout the season and playoffs, which is why the Thunder decided to move on from him and received some draft picks in return. Dort is, however, known for being a reliable defender and has become a decent three-point shooter over the last few seasons, until he hit a slump this year.

Does Dort deserve an extension right now?

Oct 25, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) is defended by Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The biggest thing in all of this is what Dort brings to the Hawks in terms of what they are looking for moving forward. The main thing that Dort will bring to the Hawks is his defense for sure; offensively, that remains to be seen. However, he has shown he can make his three-point shots, and that will be enough for Atlanta, which shot 37% from three, which ranked fifth in the NBA.

Playoff-wise, Dort brings much-needed experience to this young Hawks team, seemed to be a little nervous in certain instances, as some players didn't play to the same abilities that they did in the regular season. Similar to CJ McCollum, Dort has gone on deep playoff runs. With his championship experience and the recent move the Hawks made to get rid of former No. 1 overall draft pick Zaccharie Risacher, it gives even more of a need for Dort.

Now, with the contract extension in question, I don't believe it is time to make that decision for an extension just yet. The reasoning is that Dort is coming off a significantly down year, and it would take away from the potential flexibility to make a trade during the season and potential cap space next summer.

That's not to say that Dort can't prove himself a helpful contributor to this Hawks team; it's just that for a team that is young and is still looking to build, you can't force the issue by dishing out contracts right away. We still have to see what he brings to this Hawks team that would be enough to give him the extension that he's looking for and would make sense for the Hawks long-term.

If the Hawks were to give Dort an extension right away, they would possibly be handicapping themselves into a situation where they would be stuck with another Dyson Daniels. As we've seen, Daniels is a great defensive player, but offensively he can't be trusted to play valuable minutes and is a liability on that end, similar to Dort, though he can shoot a little.

When Dort's shot isn't falling and you need a bucket, he's not very useful, and that is one reason the extension this early can be hurtful. A similar situation would be when the Portland Trail Blazers traded for Robert Covington in 2020, thinking he was a missing defensive piece. But when his defense and shooting declined in 2021, he was salary-dumped to the Los Angeles Clippers as an expiring contract.

If Dort can come out and prove himself this season and doesn't require much for Atlanta, I don't see why they wouldn't extend him. Another reason would be to look at how the Hawks did things with Jonathan Kuminga: they traded for him and allowed him to play out this season, and so far, haven't looked to sign him back.

What this comes down to is how Dort performs in this system and whether the Hawks, as an organization, trust what Dort brings to this team. In due time, we will see what the Hawks see in Dort's value, given that he is 27 and had a down year, with potential to bounce back and could help this team with his championship experience.