The Los Angeles Lakers were quietly one of the most active teams on Lu Dort before Oklahoma City sent him to Atlanta. They just could not get the deal done.
Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype reported that the Lakers, Nets, Raptors and Heat all expressed interest in acquiring Dort before the Thunder pulled the trigger on the three-team deal with the Hawks.
“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,” Scotto wrote.
In the actual deal, Dort headed to Atlanta while Oklahoma City picked up three second-round picks and Dallas grabbed former No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher from the Hawks. The Thunder moved Dort’s expiring $17.22 million contract because they have to start paying their real stars in a hurry.
For the Lakers, this one stings. Dort would have plugged the exact hole they have. Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic together in the backcourt is a scoring machine, but neither is a lockdown perimeter defender. Dort is one of the toughest wing defenders in the league and would have absorbed the toughest assignments every night.
Instead, the Lakers signed Matisse Thybulle to a one-year deal. Thybulle is a good defender in his own right, but he is not the physical, chest-to-chest bulldog Dort is. He also is not the same shooter Dort has developed into over the past two seasons.
The Lakers have to be feeling this loss even more given the ongoing LeBron James saga. LeBron has told the team he is not coming back. Whether he ends up in Miami, Cleveland, Golden State or Philadelphia, Los Angeles has to build around Luka and Reaves without their long-time centerpiece.
A defensive wing like Dort would have made JJ Redick’s life easier immediately. Instead, Redick is going to have to scheme around a defensive backcourt weakness while trying to keep Luka happy and get the most out of Walker Kessler in the middle.
Atlanta, meanwhile, got the win in this trade. The Hawks paired Dort with Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker to build one of the toughest perimeter defenses in the East. Add Trae Young’s offense to that group and the Hawks suddenly look like a team that can win a playoff series or two, not one that flames out in the play-in.
Miami, Toronto and Brooklyn were also on the outside looking in. The Heat are waiting on LeBron. The Raptors just landed Kawhi Leonard in a deal that is currently on hold pending an NBA investigation. Brooklyn is still in soft-tank mode.
For the Lakers, this offseason keeps handing them near-misses. LeBron picked another city. Dort ended up in Atlanta. Thybulle is the consolation prize.
The good news is that the Lakers still have Luka and Reaves, and there is time left before opening night. But the Dort trade is a reminder of how thin the margins are when your best defensive fit gets scooped up by somebody else.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
