Oklahoma City traded starting forward and defensive standout Lu Dort to Atlanta as part of a three-team deal that also had the Hawks sending former No. 1 draft pick Zaccharie Risacher to Dallas.
Atlanta also will receive Ryan Nembhard from Dallas and the Thunder will be getting three heavily protected second-round draft picks. The NBA signed off on the trade Sunday.
The trade allows the Thunder to shed the salary needed to get below the second apron, gives the Hawks another top defender in Dort and gives the Mavericks a third No. 1 overall pick — the most currently on one roster in the NBA. Risacher will be joining 2011 top pick Kyrie Irving and 2025 top pick Cooper Flagg in Dallas.
Dort averaged 11.6 points over his first seven seasons, all with the Thunder. Risacher — a runner-up for rookie of the year in 2024-25 — averaged 11.1 points in two seasons with Atlanta and Nembhard averaged 6.6 points for Dallas as a rookie this past season.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
FILE - Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) moves against the Golden State Warriors during the first half of an NBA basketball game, March 22, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)
FILE - Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) reacts to a foul in the second half of Game 5 in the Western Conference finals NBA basketball playoffs series against the San Antonio Spurs, May 26, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
Family and supporters of Nolan Xavier Wells gathered in a Mississippi church Monday to mourn and celebrate the 18-year-old, whose death following a July 4 boat trip with friends has captured national attention and prompted calls for an independent investigation.
The Rev. Al Sharpton was scheduled to officiate the funeral, with a call to justice delivered by the family’s lawyer, Ben Crump, a prominent civil rights attorney.
In the lead-up to the ceremony, relatives filed into the Ocean Springs, Mississippi, church for a visitation period, backdropped by gospel singers and a photo slideshow featuring Wells, often grinning and decked out in football gear.
Wells’ mother, Christine Wonsley, said they would use the occasion to celebrate the life of their son, who she described as a “bright light” and a “sensitive soul.”
“He would not want us to be sitting around crying and eating, and so what we’re gonna do is kind of have a party to celebrate him,” she said last week.
Wells’ death has captured national attention, galvanizing Black leaders and touching off fraught discussions of racial tension and mistrust of law enforcement in the Deep South.
The teenager, who was Black, had traveled by boat to Horn Island, a popular Fourth of July destination, with a group of friends from high school, all of whom were white. He did not return with his friends to the mainland that evening, officials said. His body was found two days later off the island’s coast.
Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter has said Wells’ friends are cooperating with the investigation, which remains ongoing. He said initial interviews suggested Wells chose to stay on the island and that his friends believed he would get a ride with someone else.
But the still-unknown circumstances leading to Wells’ disappearance have fueled rampant online speculation, along with questions from his parents about why he was left behind.
Crump has said another witness reported Wells planned to leave on the boat with his friends, contradicting the sheriff’s statement. He also alleged that messages appeared to have been deleted from the phone, which was found with Wells’ friends, along with his keys.
The attorney, who is leading his own investigation into the death, said he would work alongside the local prosecutor to inspect the device. The prosecutor agreed last week to present the results of the investigation to a grand jury once it is completed, Crump said.
“Our lived experiences tell us that we must question everything, everybody’s role, law enforcement’s role,” Crump said. “That is the lived experience as Black people in America.”
Wells, who would have turned 19 next month, played wide receiver on the football team at Southwest Mississippi Community College in Summit, Mississippi, and had aspirations of playing at a high-level Division I program.
“He was very sociable with everyone, didn’t meet a stranger,” his coach, Les George, told WAPT-TV. “He would pop up at my office and come sit on the couch just to hang out and talk.”
His death has drawn support from high-profile members of the Black community. Actor and producer Tyler Perry is helping pay for Wells’ funeral. Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick is helping pay for his independent autopsy, and filmmaker Spike Lee attended a news conference last week in support of Wells’ family.
In a joint statement last week, members of the Congressional Black Caucus called for an independent and transparent investigation into Wells' death, adding that “too many questions remain unanswered.”
“We hope the outpouring of concern and support from people across the country in recent days brings them some comfort in the days ahead,” they said.
The Wonsley family, from left to right, Christine, her Husband Elmore, sons Elmore Jr. and Ethan attend a memorial service Nolan Xavier Wells, an 18-year-old found dead after taking a July 4 boat trip with friends, Monday, July 20, 2026, in Ocean Springs, Miss. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
From left to right, Christine Wonsley cries next to her Husband Elmore, and their sons Elmore Jr. and Ethan during a memorial service for her son Nolan Xavier Wells, an 18-year-old found dead after taking a July 4 boat trip with friends, Monday, July 20, 2026, in Ocean Springs, Miss. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Attendees hug during a memorial service for Nolan Xavier Wells, an 18-year-old found dead after taking a July 4 boat trip with friends, Monday, July 20, 2026, in Ocean Springs, Miss. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Attendees hug during a memorial service for Nolan Xavier Wells, an 18-year-old found dead after taking a July 4 boat trip with friends, Monday, July 20, 2026, in Ocean Springs, Miss. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
A young girl is among the attendees during a memorial service for Nolan Xavier Wells, an 18-year-old found dead after taking a July 4 boat trip with friends, Monday, July 20, 2026, in Ocean Springs, Miss. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Football teammates of Nolan Xavier Wells, an 18-year-old found dead after taking a July 4 boat trip with friends, attend his memorial service Monday, July 20, 2026, in Ocean Springs, Miss. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
People line up for a viewing during a memorial service for Nolan Xavier Wells, an 18-year-old found dead after taking a July 4 boat trip with friends, Monday, July 20, 2026, in Ocean Springs, Miss. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
A person holds a picture of Nolan Xavier Wells during a news conference at National Action Network headquarters, Friday, July 10, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
The Rev. Al Sharpton speaks during a news conference with Christine and Elmore Wonsley, parents of Nolan Xavier Wells, at National Action Network headquarters, Friday, July 10, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
