Thunder's Lu Dort trade just added years onto Wembanyama's basketball life

The CBA strikes yet again. This time, Oklahoma City is saving money by trading Lu Dort to Atlanta in a three-team deal with the Dallas Mavericks. The Thunder have already let go of Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins, chipping away at the depth that was an asset to their 2025 title run.

But, more importantly, they just got rid of the dirtiest player on the roster, and Victor Wembanyama should be thankful. The less he's subjected to reckless play that could get him hurt, the more longevity he should have in his career. That's a win for us all.

Lu Dort having a seven-minute compilation of dirty to, at the very least, careless plays is outrageous. Nearly every fan base in the league has a problem with his playing style. San Antonio faced the Thunder more than 10 times this season, so fans are fully aware of the questionable behavior.

His recklessness constantly puts his opponents in danger, so not having to subject the Spurs, especially the 7'4" star with a thin frame, to his antics is a huge win.

Wembanyama will only have to face Dort twice a year

Unfortunately, we can't rid the team of the Dort burden entirely, but his move to the Eastern Conference is significant. The Spurs will go from facing him a potential 12 times a year to only two or three.

Wemby has been getting stronger, but he's still 7'4" with a slender frame. The last thing he needs is to play against someone who thinks diving into an opponent's knees is part of the game. One catastrophic injury could cascade into constant issues for a man his size.

It's mind-blowing that the NBA hasn't taken more action to discipline such a repeat offender.

In February, Nikola Jokic had to be held back from going after the Canadian defensive stalwart when he undercut the Joker's knees away from the ball on an otherwise casual play. OKC had just scored, so Denver was fresh off an inbounds with their star making his way up the floor.

And then Dort happened for no reason. Jokic was understandably furious, and Dort was ejected from the game.

Too many people took the wrong point from Victor Wembanyama's "ethical basketball" comments last season, but I want to co-opt the message myself now. There's nothing ethical about disregarding the safety of other players.

The type of ethical hoops everyone should agree on is the kind that tries to guarantee everyone can walk off the floor at the end of the game as healthy as humanly possible.

Lu Dort doesn't subscribe to that brand of basketball, so I'm thrilled that he's out of the Western Conference. I'd bet I'm not the only one.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow