The Minnesota Timberwolves are trying to do the improbable: catch up to the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs. Thankfully, the Thunder's cost-cutting offseason could make things easier for the Wolves.
OKC's latest move? Salary-dumping defensive stopper Lu Dort to the Atlanta Hawks. The Thunder received a measly three second-round picks back in this deal.
Dort joins Aaron Wiggins (who also went to Atlanta) and Isaiah Joe (who was traded to Detroit) as another cap casualty in the Thunder's offseason.
BREAKING: The Oklahoma City Thunder trading All-Defensive wing Lu Dort to the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team deal that sends three second-round picks to OKC, former No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher to the Dallas Mavericks and Ryan Nembhard to Atlanta, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/4ewUxhRQA5
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 19, 2026
The Thunder's summer of savings could help the Timberwolves challenge them
Let's set a few things straight: the Thunder have a fantastic front office; they had to save money due to the second apron, and they're still a really good basketball team. However, the Thunder didn't get better this offseason, and cutting into the depth that made them so special makes them a bit more vulnerable.
And for the Timberwolves, that sliver of vulnerability could be all they need to topple the Thunder. At the very least, it gives them a better chance.
The Thunder did draft Bennett Stirtz and Aday Mara in the first-round -- they also have last year's first-round pick, Thomas Sorber, returning to action after a knee injury. Mara and Sorber give OKC some extra frontcourt size, but they don't solve the scoring punch void left behind by Wiggins or Joe, or the on-ball defensive void left behind by Dort. Stirtz will help with the scoring part, to be fair.
Again, the point isn't that the Thunder are hopeless; that would be foolish. Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace are two elite defenders. Jared McCain made Wiggins and Joe expendable. They still have great depth, yet it's no longer otherworldly depth. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is arguably the best player in the world, and he still has a high-quality supporting cast -- the Thunder remain an elite team.
In a conference with two juggernauts, though, one of them pursuing cost-cutting moves in the offseason is a massive break for the Timberwolves, and they are going to need every possible break they can get.
Anthony Edwards will never back down from any challenge, and it's clear that he loves playing against the Thunder. This year, it's even more fair for him to have such confidence, given that he now has an ideal running mate in LaMelo Ball and that OKC is clearly more vulnerable.
Ball could be a difference-maker in the Wolves' ability to match up with the Thunder. Before, OKC could send the house at Edwards, and they didn't have other high-end ball-handlers to offset this strategy. That will be a different story with Ball in the fold.
For as great as the Thunder are, they are also susceptible to great shooting teams. Their defense actually ranked in the bottom 10 for both opponent 3-point frequency and accuracy. Without a doubt, OKC's 3-point defense could get worse without Dort. Thus, the blueprint could be to outshoot the Thunder, and with Ball, that's something the Timberwolves absolutely can do.
At the end of the day, the Thunder and Spurs are still the top dogs in the West. Regardless, the Thunder are starting to show some cracks in their armor with their cost-cutting offseason, and trading Dort is further proof of this.
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