Dorian Finney-Smith, Rockets Reportedly Agree to $53M Contract After Lakers Stint
After declining his $15.4 million player option with the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2025-26 season, Dorian Finney-Smith reportedly agreed to a contract with the Houston Rockets.
Per ESPN's Shams Charania, Finney-Smith agreed to a four-year, $53 million deal on Monday.
The Lakers acquired Finney-Smith in December when they sent D'Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis and three second-rounders to the Brooklyn Nets in return for him and Shake Milton.
Finney-Smith had one of the best stretches of his career in his 20 games with the Nets to start last season. He put up 10.4 points and 4.6 boards, starting all 20 contests before being traded to Los Angeles.
Finney-Smith's role decreased once he arrived with the Lakers, as he mostly came off the bench, but he still ended up averaging 7.9 points in nearly 30 minutes per game.
After the season, Finney-Smith had ankle surgery to address an issue that had impacted him for multiple seasons. With that issue seemingly taken care of, he'll look to come back strong and get his tenure in Houston off to a good start.
The Lakers had their eye on Finney-Smith long before trading for him last season. Clutch Points' Anthony F. Irwin reported in November that the Lakers had reached out to the Nets about a trade during the 2023-24 season and remained in contact to start the 2024-25 season, eventually pulling the trigger on a trade in December.
As much as the Lakers wanted Finney-Smith, they ultimately couldn't outbid the Rockets, and Finney-Smith will now join his fourth team in as many seasons.
Just hours after Finney-Smith declined his option, NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that Houston had "emerged as a viable free agent landing spot" for Finney-Smith. The Rockets were clearly very interested in adding another forward to the squad, and they successfully did that.
Finney-Smith will join an exciting Rockets team featuring both young talent and a veteran leader in Kevin Durant. Houston will likely start Durant at the 4 and Amen Thompson at the 3, but Finney-Smith should get plenty of minutes on the wing as a de facto Dillon Brooks replacement.
The Rockets already appeared in position to make a deep playoff run, and the addition of Finney-Smith only bolsters the roster.
