Luke Hales/Getty Photos
Regardless of a current pursuit by the Memphis Grizzlies, the Los Angeles Lakers gained the Dorian Finney-Smith sweepstakes by buying and selling D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis, and three second-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets for Finney-Smith and Shake Milton.
Whereas the Lakers hope to maintain Finney-Smith long-term, the early expectation is he’ll decline his $15.38 million participant choice for the 2025-26 season and enter unrestricted free company, HoopsHype has discovered. Finney-Smith, a confirmed 3-and-D ahead, is taking pictures a career-high 43.5 % from 3-point vary this season.
Milton has been an underrated backup guard this season with Brooklyn, averaging 7.4 factors and taking pictures 38.9 % from 3-point vary in 18.2 minutes per recreation. The remaining two years on Milton’s contract after this season are non-guaranteed, giving the Lakers low-risk flexibility as nicely.
Having acquired the wing defender they sought in Finney-Smith, the subsequent merchandise for the Lakers on their checklist is a backup middle. The Lakers will proceed to attempt to purchase Wizards middle Jonas Valanciunas or one other backup middle on the commerce market with their remaining future second-round draft capital, and Gabe Vincent is anticipated to be dangled in talks as nicely, league sources instructed HoopsHype.
Earlier than the Lakers finalized the Finney-Smith acquisition, the Grizzlies tried to amass him by providing a protected 2025 first-round decide, Luke Kennard, and John Konchar to Brooklyn for Finney-Smith and a second-round decide.
The Nets most popular to not take again the $18.5 million remaining on Konchar’s contract by the 2026-27 season. As well as, with 4 first-round picks already within the 2025 draft, the Nets didn’t want one other projected late first-round decide on paper, whereas Memphis was unwilling to supply a future first-round decide in 2026 or past.
After not too long ago providing a protected first-round decide for Finney-Smith, the Grizzlies confirmed they worth him. It’s conceivable Memphis could have curiosity in making an attempt to signal Finney-Smith ought to he enter free company armed with their full mid-level exception accessible for as much as 4 years in the event that they select.
In addition to the Lakers and Grizzlies, a number of different groups stored tabs on Finney-Smith, together with the Mavericks, Nuggets, Warriors, Kings, Pacers, and so forth.
In buying Russell, the Nets could have the chance to flip him in one other commerce earlier than the deadline or permit his $18.69 million expiring contract to come back off the books and provides them extra cap house trying forward. Regardless of hypothesis that Russell might be purchased out earlier than suiting up for Brooklyn, that’s not the case, league sources instructed HoopsHype.
Brooklyn will even get a detailed have a look at Lewis, a 22-year-old swingman. Getting into the 2023 draft, Lewis had upside however fell to the second spherical and by no means obtained to play a lot with the Lakers.
The three second-round picks Brooklyn acquired can be utilized to amass a veteran rotation participant years down the road, as we noticed with the Lakers buying Finney-Smith.
