Lu Dort is embracing his move to the Atlanta Hawks after spending the first seven seasons of his NBA career with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Dort said Monday that he immediately contacted Nickeil Alexander-Walker, one of his closest friends, after learning he was headed to Atlanta.
“It’s amazing,” Dort said, according to Clemente Almanza. “Obviously, Nickeil is one of my closest friends. Played on the same team with Nickeil in high school and against him our whole life, obviously.”
Dort and Alexander-Walker previously played together in high school and now enter the 2026-27 season as Atlanta teammates. Alexander-Walker averaged 20.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 78 games for the Hawks in 2025-26 while shooting 39.9% from 3-point range.
The Hawks acquired Dort from Oklahoma City in a three-team trade on July 19 that also involved the Dallas Mavericks. Atlanta sent 2024 No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher to Dallas while acquiring Dort from the Thunder and Ryan Nembhard from the Mavericks, with Oklahoma City receiving three second-round picks.
Dort brings seven seasons of NBA experience and an established defensive résumé to Atlanta. He averaged 8.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 0.9 steals in 69 games for Oklahoma City last season while shooting 38.5% from the field and 34.4% from 3-point range.
The 27-year-old has averaged 11.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 0.9 steals over 432 career games, including 423 starts. His best scoring season came in 2021-22, when he averaged 17.2 points and 4.2 rebounds while playing 32.6 minutes per game.
Dort also finished fourth in 2025 Defensive Player of the Year voting and earned All-Defensive First Team honors after averaging 10.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.1 steals while shooting a career-best 41.2% from 3-point range.
Atlanta finished 46-36 and sixth in the Eastern Conference last season before losing to the New York Knicks in six games in the first round. The Hawks’ 2025-26 roster included Dyson Daniels, who finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting, and Alexander-Walker, giving Atlanta two perimeter players who ranked highly in the league’s annual defensive awards voting.
Dort said he is also looking forward to establishing himself in Atlanta beyond basketball, particularly given the city’s Haitian community.
“I know there’s a lot of my roots and a big Haitian community out there,” Dort said. “Everything in general. The whole city is a big vibe and I can’t wait to go out there.”
