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NBA champion Lu Dort's arrival in Atlanta could help unlock the best version of Australian Boomers guard Dyson Daniels.

The Hawks acquired prime Dort, 27, and rookie point guard Ryan Nembhard, 23, from Oklahoma City Thunder in a three-team trade that sent former No.1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher, 21, to the Dallas Mavericks.

Following Trae Young's injury and trade deadline departure, Daniels moved from shooting guard to point guard and became Atlanta's primary ball-handler. His assists increased from 4.4 to 5.9 per game, his rebounds rose from 5.9 to 6.8 and he shot a career-best 51.7 per cent from the field despite struggling from deep.

But his steals fell from 3.0 to 2.0 per game. The numbers reflected a change in role rather than a decline in defensive impact.

The 23-year-old Bendigo-born guard produced one of the greatest defensive seasons by a perimeter player in recent NBA history in 2024-25, leading the league with 229 steals, becoming the first player since Scottie Pippen in 1994-95 to record at least 200 steals and 50 blocks in the same season and earning All-Defensive First Team honours.

Atlanta finished 10th in defensive rating last season and has now added one of the NBA's premier point-of-attack defenders to a roster that already includes Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

Daniels acknowledged after the season that his move to point guard and his shooting struggles tested him mentally.

“I think it’s all mental,” Daniels admitted during his exit interview.

“I’ve never really been challenged like that before. I’ve been working with a shooting coach – my technique is fine. I can shoot 70–75% in workouts.

“But in pressure environments, it’s different. You’ve got to trust your work. Shooting in front of 15,000 people every night is a lot different.

“I’m glad I was challenged, though – I overcame mental barriers I can take into next season.”

Instead of playing alongside a high-usage point guard last season, Daniels was responsible for initiating Atlanta's offence while continuing to defend the opposition's best perimeter players.

The Dort trade potentially changes Daniels' role – again.

Oklahoma City regularly used Dort as its primary point-of-attack defender throughout its rise to the 2025 NBA championship. Rather than chasing steals, the 27-year-old's role was to make life difficult for the opposition's best scorer by fighting through screens, staying attached to ball-handlers and disrupting offensive rhythm.

Since entering the NBA in 2022-23, no player has recorded more steals than Daniels' 506. He's done it in just 272 games.

With Dort taking the toughest perimeter assignment, Daniels can spend more time reading the play, rotating into passing lanes and creating turnovers, the role that helped him lead the NBA in steals during the 2024-25 season.

Veteran CJ McCollum and rookie Ryan Nembhard also provide additional ball-handling options that should reduce Daniels' workload as Atlanta's primary organiser. Nembhard averaged 6.6 points and 5.3 assists in 60 games with Dallas last season.

Atlanta has spent the past six months reshaping its roster following Trae Young's departure. Instead of building around one elite offensive guard, the Hawks now have one of the NBA's deepest collections of perimeter defenders.

For years, the Hawks were built around one of the NBA's elite offensive guards, often having to protect Young defensively.

Dort brings the opposite. He finished last season with a 110.4 defensive rating compared with Young's 119.6 before he was traded, giving Atlanta another player comfortable defending the opposition's best scorer.

NBA general managers already regard Daniels as the league's best perimeter defender. In the 2025-26 NBA GM Survey he received 31 per cent of the vote, ahead of Alex Caruso (24%), Amen Thompson (22%) and Dort (14%).

Atlanta has paired the NBA's No.1-ranked perimeter defender in Daniels with the No.4-ranked defender in Dort.

Why Oklahoma City let Lu Dort go

Thunder general manager Sam Presti admitted the decision to trade Dort was driven by finances rather than basketball.

"This was a financial decision," Presti said.

"The impression I have been given is that the savings generated this summer, and from being out of the tax the last several years, will be re-allocated to future teams.

"Along with other new well-documented revenue streams, this will allow us to make more basketball-related decisions over the next several years."

The move reduced Oklahoma City's projected luxury tax bill from about US$103 million to US$19 million, dropping the Thunder below the NBA's second apron without breaking up their championship core of MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren.

Oklahoma City also retained veteran centre Isaiah Hartenstein, while believing guards Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace, Jared McCain and Ajay Mitchell can absorb much of Dort's defensive workload.