The Los Angeles Lakers finally swung a trade, bringing in Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton and sending out D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis and three second round picks to the Brooklyn Nets.
Several teams were interested in Finney-Smith, particularly the Memphis Grizzlies who were reportedly close on a deal before Los Angeles topped their offer. The Lakers had been linked to the wing previously, and the team did well to get him at the price they did.
Finney-Smith will slot right into head coach JJ Redick’s rotation as a true 3-and-D wing player who can guard multiple positions and space the floor. Wings like him are in high-demand around the league because of their versatility, and he should be in line for a pay raise come the offseason.
The Lakers are hoping to keep Finney-Smith this summer, though they’ll have a lot of competition as he’s expected to desline his player option for the 2025-26 season and hit unrestricted free agency, via Michael Scotto of HoopsHype:
“While the Lakers hope to keep Finney-Smith long-term, the early expectation is he will decline his $15.38 million player option for the 2025-26 season and enter unrestricted free agency, HoopsHype has learned. Finney-Smith, a proven 3-and-D forward, is shooting a career-high 43.5 percent from 3-point range this season.”
Finney-Smith made his Lakers debut against the Cleveland Cavaliers and only score two points in 20 minutes, but it was easy to see how well he slots into the rotation.
With how well he shoots from beyond the arc and his defensive prowess, Finney-Smith is in line to make more than the $15 million he’d get for next season. While the annual average value on his next deal is up for debate, he should be able to score at least a few years of guaranteed money.
The Lakers have the advantage of being able to convince him to stay throughout the regular season, though they also own his Bird Rights which means they can afford to pay him more than other teams. It remains to be seen what the numbers on a potential deal could look like, but Los Angeles should do whatever it takes to keep Finney-Smith past this season.
JJ Redick likes ability to stay versatile with Dorian Finney-Smith
Redick is familiar with Finney-Smith as the two were briefly teammates on the Dallas Mavericks. Redick has said he prefers to play smaller, and now has more options with Finney-Smith on the roster.
Defensively, Redick’s been more limited in terms of the kinds of coverages he can run but likes how Finney-Smith affords them a chance to be stay versatile with his lineups.
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