Ryan Nembhard and Lu Dort dealt to Atlanta Hawks in three-team trade with Dallas and Oklahoma City

July 23, 2026 · 0 Comments

Amid the clamor and buildup of a World Cup final featuring Spain and Argentina on Sunday, a significant NBA trade with connections to Aurora stole some of the beautiful game’s pre-game spotlight.

In a three-player deal, Aurora’s Ryan Nembhard was traded by the Dallas Mavericks to Atlanta for Hawks sophomore forward Zaccharie Risacher.

Also involved in the three-team transaction was Montreal’s Lu Dort who was dealt by the Oklahoma City Thunder for three draft picks from the Hawks.

Atlanta—after pushing the NBA champion Knicks to six games in their first-round playoff series- is cobbling together quite the Canadian contingent with Nembhard and Dort joining Nickeil Alexander-Walker in the Hawks’ backcourt. All three NBAers are on Team Canada’s FIBA roster. Caleb Houstan would have made it a Canadian quartet in Atlanta, but the 6’8” small forward was waived by the Hawks in April.

Prior to Sunday’s trade, Nembhard was coming off his debut with the Canadian National Team versus Puerto Rico on July 3 after completing his rookie season in Dallas. The undrafted Gonzaga Bulldog—who set school records for assists—made 27 starts for the Mavericks in 2025-26 and appeared in 60 games. The 5’11” point guard averaged 6.6 points and 5.3 assists per game.

Durable Dort—who played his collegiate basketball at Arizona State—also went undrafted, but enjoyed a magnificent seven-season run with the Thunder. He started 65+ games in each of his final four seasons in OKC. Dort’s career with the Thunder culminated in an NBA championship in 2025 and a first team All-Defence selection as a rugged 3-and-D guard.

The Raptors—who have Canadians RJ Barrett and AJ Lawson on their current roster—have become much beloved across the country as our ‘national team,’ but Atlanta could become a close sentimental second in the hearts of ardent Canadian basketball fans with three National Team players on the Hawks’ depth chart.

By Jim Stewart