Chet Holmgren said he is excited for the opportunity Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins have in Atlanta after the Thunder traded both to the Hawks.
Chet Holmgren said Saturday that he is excited for the opportunity Luguentz Dort and Aaron Wiggins have with the Atlanta Hawks.
Holmgren was asked about Oklahoma City losing Dort, Wiggins, and Isaiah Joe in a question from Ben Golliver of The Washington Post. Sam Yip of HoopsHype posted the exchange Saturday afternoon.
"Man, it's like losing a family member. That's how the business of this game goes. No team…all 17 guys stick together forever. … At the same time, I'm excited for them and their opportunity that they're going to have in Atlanta. And, you know, I'm happy for whatever major milestones they reach over there. And outside of that, I have complete trust in our team and the moves that they make. And I trust what they're doing is to get it right."
Atlanta acquired Wiggins on June 22 for its own 2030 second-round pick and the least favorable of the Hawks' or Los Angeles Lakers' 2032 second-round pick. Oklahoma City had used the 55th pick in 2021 to draft him, and he spent all five of his NBA seasons there. His career line stands at 8.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists, on 48.7% shooting from the field and 38.0% from 3-point range.
Four weeks later, a three-team deal brought Dort to Atlanta. Zaccharie Risacher went to the Dallas Mavericks, Ryan Nembhard came to the Hawks, and Oklahoma City took back second-round picks in 2031 and 2032. The July 19 trade followed Oklahoma City's decision in June to pick up a $17.7 million option on Dort rather than let him hit free agency.
Oklahoma City agreed to trade Joe to the Detroit Pistons on June 26 for two future second-round picks, and Detroit announced the deal on July 6. Joe averaged 11.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists over 71 games last season while shooting 42.3% from 3-point range.
Minutes were the constraint for both players in Oklahoma City. Wiggins appeared in 13 playoff games last spring and averaged 1.5 points in 5.8 minutes. Dort started in the regular season and averaged 26.8 minutes, then played 16 minutes in the Game 7 loss to San Antonio and scored 3 points on 1-of-4 shooting.
Dort averaged 8.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 69 games last season, shooting 38.5% from the field and 34.4% from 3-point range. His scoring peaked at 17.2 points a game in 2021-22. The 2025 title team in Oklahoma City was his, and he was an All-Defensive first team pick along the way.
In Atlanta, Dort and Wiggins slot into a perimeter rotation with Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Alexander-Walker averaged a career-high 20.8 points as a starter last season and was named Most Improved Player. Daniels took the award the year before. Atlanta agreed to a one-year, $21 million contract with CJ McCollum hours before the Wiggins trade came together.
Dort's contract runs through 2026-27, and the Hawks want him past that. Marc Stein and Jake Fischer laid out the extension timetable in The Stein Line last week.
Oklahoma City lost to San Antonio in seven games in the Western Conference finals. Wiggins did not play in that game.
Training camps around the league open in late September.
