Fantasy Basketball Impact of Thunder-Hawks-Mavericks Trade

We finally have a big enough NBA transaction to go over it from a fantasy baseball perspective.

We will discuss a three-team trade that was announced on Sunday. Let's get right to it!

For the latest player updates, be sure to head to FantasySP to utilize the real-time player news engine for all sports. The player news engine is the most robust and fastest player news system in fantasy sports. Signing up for a FantasySP membership can help you track all your fantasy players.

Three-Team Trade and Stats

The Thunder, Hawks and Mavericks completed the trade.

The Hawks got Luguentz Dort and Ryan Nembhard in the deal. OKC picked up three second-round picks. Zaccharie Risacher, the No. 1 pick from 2024, was sent to Dallas in the deal.

Dort is a 27-year-old forward/wing who has been in the league for seven years. He was with OKC for each season, but his numbers dropped off in 2025-26.

He averaged 8.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.4 blocks over 26.8 minutes a game. Dort should have a chance to deliver more with his new team.

Risacher regressed in his second NBA season, averaging 9.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.5 blocks per game. He played 22.4 minutes a night, and started 46 of the 67 games he appeared in.

Nembhard is 23 years old and played in his first NBA season last year. He started 27 of the 60 games he appeared in, averaging 19.5 minutes per contest. Nembhard also averaged 6.6 points, 5.3 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 0.4 steals per game.

Hawks' Outlook

Dort likely will come off the bench for Atlanta. The Hawks have CJ McCollum, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu as projected starters for now.

Dort joins a reserve group that includes rookie Kingston Flemings, Aaron Wiggins, Jock Landale, Mouhamed Gueye, Corey Kispert and Devin Carter.

Even if he's coming off the bench, I see Dort playing enough minutes to be a good fantasy asset in Atlanta. He could average double-digit points, and that alone makes him at least a deep-league fantasy asset. He could be a standard league option if he's producing enough else, and playing enough.

Nembard will have a tougher time cracking the rotation because point guard is pretty stocked in Atlanta. McCollum is the starter there, with Flemings as the top backup and Carter likely also ahead of Nembhard.

Nembhard will have to play well consistently to earn a notable role off the bench for Atlanta. Injuries could help his cause, but I see Nembhard topping out as a deep-league fantasy asset only.

Mavericks' Outlook

Risacher could start for Dallas, but he also could play a big enough role off the bench to be a fantasy asset in the coming year.

Right now, the projected starters in Dallas are Kyrie Irving, Max Christie, Cooper Flagg, P.J. Washington and Dereck Lively II. Risacher joins a reserve group that includes Marcus Sasser, Sergio de Larrea, Klay Thompson, Morez Johnson Jr., Daniel Gafford, Moussa Cisse, Santi Aldama, Naji Marshall and Caleb Martin.

Dallas has a pretty full roster, and that buries Risacher a bit. More offseason moves could open up playing time for the No. 1 pick. I'd expect Dallas to give him enough playing time to be a solid fantasy asset, at least.

If he ends up starting at shooting guard, then Risacher could have standard league fantasy upside. Behind Irving and Flagg, I see Risacher as more of a role player, but again, injuries could help his cause and lead to bigger fantasy performances.

Risacher is a player to keep tabs on, but it'd be best to treat him as a deep-league fantasy asset for now.

Thunder Outlook

By trading away Dort, there's now more opportunities for the guards/wings in OKC.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jared McCain, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein are the projected starters. Ajay Mitchell, Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso, Jaylin Williams, Aday Mara, Bennett Stirtz and Kenrich Williams are among the bench options.

OKC has a number of draft picks at its disposal, so they could upgrade their roster at any point, so I'm not so sure this is the final roster the team will take into next season.

I like the outlooks for Wallace, Mitchell and others after Dort was traded away. Things could change again if another trade or signing is made.

Expect OKC to remain one of the best teams in the league for a while, especially with more high-end picks coming in the future.