Lakers' Dalton Knecht Says It 'Sucks' Losing Dorian Finney Smith in Free Agency

Los Angeles guard Dalton Knecht admitted that "it sucks" to lose Dorian Finney-Smith in free agency to the Houston Rockets.

"At the end of the day, that just happens," Knecht told reporters. "We got Jake (LaRavia)."

After averaging 8.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists during the regular season while shooting 44.8 percent from the field, the Lakers lost one of their best all-around players when Finney-Smith agreed to a four-year, $53 million deal with the Houston Rockets on Monday, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported.

Finney-Smith had originally opted out of his $15.4 million player option with the Lakers to become a free agent.

The Lakers quickly responded by signing forward Jake LaRavia to a two-year, $12 million contract, utilizing a portion of the $14.1 million mid-level exception freed up by Finney-Smith’s departure.

The Lakers’ offseason seemed to be unraveling as key targets—from Brooke Lopez to Clint Capela—passed on joining the 2020 championship team. But then Deandre Ayton stepped in to fill the massive void at center.

ESPN’s Charania reported Wednesday that Ayton agreed to a two-year deal with the Lakers. Between the Lakers and Portland, who bought out his contract, Ayton will earn a combined $34 million next season.

Despite the departure of veteran Finney-Smith, the Lakers are starting to gain momentum in their offseason rebuild, with Wednesday’s signing of Ayton marking a significant move forward.