The departure of Dorian Finney-Smith is a sizable loss for the Los Angeles Lakers this summer. Once they acquired him in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets in late December, he made a significant impact on them and helped them turn things around.
At the time of the trade, they were a poor defensive team. But Finney-Smith made them, at least in spurts, an excellent defensive team while giving them dependable 3-point shooting. Now, after turning down his player option for the 2025-26 season, he’s joining a reloaded Houston Rockets team, and Los Angeles is losing him for nothing.
Finney-Smith reportedly agreed to a four-year, $53 million deal with the Rockets. According to Dan Woike of The Athletic, L.A. offered the forward a two-year deal.
“The Lakers, according to team sources, offered two years against the four-year, $53 million deal he got with Houston because they wanted to maintain as much future flexibility as possible to be in position to land a superstar down the line to pair with [Luka] Dončić,” Woike wrote.
Finney-Smith will now play for a Rockets squad that is also gaining future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant, as well as center Clint Capela. The Rockets will almost certainly be contenders this coming season, while the Lakers’ immediate future is very uncertain, at least for now.
