The Brooklyn Nets came into the 2026 NBA offseason with the goal of improving the roster as much as possible following a 2025-26 season in which they finished with a lowly 20-62 record. Brooklyn has made various moves over the course of the offseason, such as acquiring Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle via trade, but there are some players that the Nets missed out on getting.
“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,” HoopsHype NBA insider Michael Scotto reported on Wednesday. Oklahoma City Thunder guard Lu Dort was recently traded to the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team deal, but it seems like the Nets had some interest.
“The Oklahoma City Thunder has acquired three second-round picks and generated a trade exception as part of a three-team trade with the Atlanta Hawks and Dallas Mavericks, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti. Atlanta will receive guard/forward Luguentz Dort and guard Ryan Nembhard while Dallas will receive guard/forward Zaccharie Risacher,” the Thunder wrote in a press release confirming the move.
Dort, 27, is coming off a 2025-26 season in which he averaged 8.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 38.5% from the field and 34.4% from behind the three-point line. Dort has been a crucial member of Oklahoma City’s recent dominance, but with the team becoming more expensive, they traded Dort away to a Hawks team where he’ll share the floor with Jalen Johnson and company.
Over the course of this offseason, the Nets have re-signed center Day’Ron Sharpe and forward Josh Minott along with adding Randle through a trade and guard Keon Ellis in free-agency. Brooklyn still has some cap space to spend before the beginning of the season and while that money could be eventually used to sign center Mo Wagner, it looks like the Nets had their eyes on a 3-and-D player in Dort that will ultimately head to Atlanta.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Report: Nets expressed trade interest in Lu Dort before Hawks trade
Reporting by Sharif Phillips-Keaton, Nets Wire / Nets Wire
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By Sharif Phillips-Keaton, Nets Wire | USA TODAY Network
