Three-team trade grades: Hawks get Dort, boost immediate strength, rated A-; Thunder B-; Mavericks B+

According to prominent reporter Shams on July 20 Beijing time, a three-team trade involving the Thunder, Hawks, and Mavericks was finalized, sending Dort to Atlanta and 2024 top pick Risacher to Dallas. ESPN's trade grades: Hawks A-, Thunder B-, Mavericks B+.

Trade Details

Hawks receive: Luguentz Dort (from Thunder), Ryan Nembhard (from Mavericks)

Mavericks receive: Zaccharie Risacher (from Hawks)

Thunder receive: 3 future second-round picks (2 from Hawks, 1 from Mavericks)

The three second-round picks are: the Mavericks' 2027 Bulls second-rounder, the Hawks' highest second-round pick in 2031, and the Hawks' highest second-round pick in 2032.

Thunder Grade: B-

After sending out Dort, Wiggins, and Isaiah Joe, the Thunder's summer salary cap moves have finally concluded, successfully bringing the team's payroll below the second apron threshold.

Through these transactions, the Thunder will save over $300 million next season, including player salaries and luxury tax relief, while also escaping the strict roster restrictions of the second apron for the upcoming year.

However, this trade differs fundamentally from the Thunder's other summer salary-clearing moves. Wiggins and Joe were reliable rotation players, but the Thunder had an overflow of depth, making them expendable; in the past two playoffs, their minutes ranked 10th and 11th on the team, respectively.

In contrast, Dort was a core member of the team's 2024-25 championship run and the 2025-26 regular-season league leader. Over the last two postseasons, he ranked third in total playoff minutes and started every playoff game.

Even so, he remained the most tradeable asset among the Thunder's core rotation. Wallace is younger and a more explosive offensive threat; while their defensive styles differ—Wallace excels at forcing turnovers, Dort relies on physical pressure—Wallace can fully step into Dort's role as the primary defender against the opponent's top perimeter scorer.

Additionally, after three offseason trades, the Thunder's perimeter depth remains strong: Wallace, Alexander, Jalen Williams, Caruso, Ajay Mitchell, and McCain are all still on the roster.

The interior situation is entirely different; Hartenstein's contributions on both ends are irreplaceable. When both players had team options this summer, the Thunder had to choose one, and Hartenstein was always the safer retention choice.

Looking at the Western Conference's main rivals, this decision becomes even clearer. In the Western Conference Finals against Wembanyama-led Spurs, Hartenstein was the Thunder's best solution to contain the opponent; Dort, on the other hand, was consistently limited when guarding San Antonio's perimeter players.

In the Western Conference Finals, Dort's average minutes dropped to seventh on the team; he posted a net rating of -63 while on the court, the worst plus-minus of any player in the series, and the Spurs deliberately left him open on perimeter shots, making him a defensive liability.

With Dort's contract now down to just one year, trading him now allows the Thunder to acquire draft assets, free up cap space to re-sign Wallace and Mitchell, and not significantly weaken the roster against the Spurs.

However, this trade-off, while seemingly advantageous, is not without risk. Dort's ceiling may be lower than the team's younger stars, but his durability is exceptional: he has played at least 69 games in each of the past five seasons, never missed a playoff game, and provides a reliable defensive floor.

The Thunder's young perimeter players (McCain, Mitchell, Topić, and Stetz) are all offensively oriented. If Wallace suffers an injury, the Thunder's perimeter defense will face a clear weakness for the first time.

Losing Dort, along with rotation players Wiggins and Joe, will inevitably hurt the Thunder's regular-season performance in 2026-27—a cost the team must accept under the luxury tax rules. The Thunder is betting that even with a diminished regular-season record, their playoff competitiveness will remain high enough to offset the salary savings and draft asset gains. This bet may pay off, but it is the highest-risk move the Thunder has made in the last two years.

Hawks Grade: A-

The Hawks' offseason moves have been consistently impressive, and this trade is equally shrewd. On the surface, considering the draft backgrounds of the three players, the deal doesn't seem like a steal: Risacher was the No. 1 pick, while Dort and Nembhard were undrafted.

But setting aside draft pedigree, Dort far surpasses Risacher in both current ability and long-term value. The 27-year-old wing is in his prime, was named to the All-Defensive First Team a year ago, and will now team up with fellow All-Defensive teammate Dyson Daniels.

It remains to be seen whether Dort and Daniels can coexist and produce smooth offense, but with Alexander-Walker, the Hawks have assembled an elite perimeter defensive trio. Last season, Atlanta ranked just 10th in defensive efficiency; they have a real chance to break into the top five in 2026-27.

Moreover, the Hawks were severely lacking in reliable rotation players, and Dort perfectly fills that gap. As I noted earlier when analyzing the Hawks' trade for Wiggins, Atlanta effectively used only a six-man rotation in last season's playoffs, with Jonathan Kuminga leaving this summer. Now, adding Dort and Wiggins on the wing, along with Nembhard and No. 8 pick Kingston Fleming in the backcourt, has significantly alleviated the team's depth issues.

Of course, giving up on Risacher so early could prove to be a mistake in the long run. The 6-foot-8 forward is only 21 years old and possesses one of the league's most desirable physical profiles.

But Risacher's salary is relatively high: $13.8 million in 2026-27 and a $17.4 million team option for 2027-28. Since entering the league, he has shown no signs of becoming a star or even a reliable starter on a strong team. His stats in his second season were flat or slightly worse than his rookie year, with little development, and he lost the trust of head coach Quin Snyder.

In the playoffs, he played only 23 total minutes, most of which came in garbage time during a 51-point blowout that ended the season.

According to Stathead, among the 41 No. 1 picks in the lottery era, Risacher ranks 39th in career player efficiency (BPM) over his first two seasons, ahead of only infamous busts Anthony Bennett and Michael Olowokandi.

Normally, a player with developmental potential would show more on-court value in his first two years. Among the bottom seven, the only one who panned out, Andrew Wiggins, had a BPM far superior to Risacher's. If we re-evaluate the draft, the Hawks' decision to skip No. 2 pick Sarr and No. 4 pick Castle to take Risacher with the top pick would earn a failing grade. But Atlanta chose to treat that mistake as a sunk cost, turning Risacher into the more impactful Dort via trade.

Mavericks Grade: B+

The Mavericks' trade is purely about stockpiling talent: sending out an unremarkable undrafted backup guard in exchange for the 2024 No. 1 pick, who is two years younger than the team's young core. Nembhard was a solid backup point guard who stabilized Dallas's turnover-prone backcourt; Risacher's arrival won't solve the Mavericks' surplus of wings, but purely in terms of player ceiling, this swap is a clear win.

Regardless of whether Risacher performs better after the change of scenery, the logic is clear: Dallas desperately needs to add young talent around Cooper Flagg, and the team has very few future draft picks. Now the roster features two No. 1 overall picks from consecutive years: Risacher (2024) and Flagg (2025).

Risacher will be signed and placed with the Mavericks using the Anthony Davis trade exception. The team has a full season to evaluate his development before deciding on a potential extension next summer or letting him enter restricted free agency in 2028.