Over the weekend, the Los Angeles Lakers made their first trade of the 2024-25 season. The team sent veteran guards D’Angelo Russell and Maxwell Lewis, along with three second-round draft picks, to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for forward Dorian Finney-Smith and guard Shake Milton.
Finney-Smith has been rumored to be in the Lakers’ crosshairs for quite some time. He checks many boxes the team is looking for, especially on the defensive end of the basketball floor.
On Monday, Finney-Smith spoke to the media in Los Angeles for the first time since the team was finalized. The veteran forward seems to be thrilled for a fresh start with the Lakers and a chance to play for a team that is looking to win rather than looking toward the NBA draft lottery.
“I’m excited. I’m back to playing some meaningful basketball,” Finney-Smith said. “It’s been a while, but I’m excited, especially if I can go tomorrow.”
The 31-year-old can sense that he’s on a team determined to make some noise this season with a direction and a different energy that excites him for the rest of the 2024-25 campaign in Los Angeles.
“It’s fun, man. Just the opportunity to play for a championship. Not even just playoffs. In Brooklyn, we were just fighting to get in the playoffs. Here, we’re trying to win the championship. So it’s a different approach, different energy, all around. It’s tough, especially coming from a place where you don’t know the direction of the direction. And now, I know the direction. Everybody wants to win here. We’re trying to do amazing things here, so I’m excited.”
Finney-Smith brings something different to the table for the Lakers, as he’ll provide a boost defensively while also being able to stretch the floor with his three-point shooting. The veteran forward is currently shooting a career-high 43.5% from beyond the arc and seems ready to knock down corner threes when called upon.
“Just being a versatile guy,” he said. “When they do want me to play small, we got that option. I can pick and pop. Spread the floor so guys can get in the lane and pull the big out the paint. I know that’s what we did with teams who put centers on me. We’ll put me in the corner, and if they help, I’ll be ready to shoot. So we just got a bunch of different options that a coach can, a bunch of different lineups a coach can throw out there that we could be successful at.”
Dorian Finney-Smith discusses what he has seen from Lakers
As Finney-Smith starts the next step of his professional career in Los Angeles, his third team in the NBA, the versatile forward opened up about what he’s seen from the Lakers this season from the outside looking in.
“Well, watching them from afar, they were pretty good this year. They had a tough stretch, I think. They lost a couple games bad. But beside that, they’ve been a solid team. A bunch of injuries, I think. Vandy coming back, I know they’ve probably missed him, a big wing. C-Wood, I played with him in Dallas, so I know he’s trying to get back on the court as well. I feel like I’m just trying to get here and help these guys any way I can. If it’s with my energy, giving energy, making shots, whatever they need me to do, I’m going to do it.”
Although some would argue that another move or two is needed for the Lakers to be able to compete in the Western Conference this season, the addition of Finney-Smith is a step in the right direction.
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