The Los Angeles Lakers traded for Dorian Finney-Smith early in the year in order to improve their defense. D’Angelo Russell had run his course in LA, and JJ Redick wanted someone who could defend on the perimeter.
It soon became clear that Finney-Smith was not only the best perimeter defender on the team, but the best defender on the team period once Anthony Davis was traded.
Finney-Smith is someone who can guard three or four different positions on the floor. While he’s not great on the offensive end of the court, the Lakers have plenty of other options to score.
Now that the season is over, Finney-Smith has a player-option for $15.3 million that he could decide to exercise. He could also decide to test the open market and become a free agent.
It seems that the Lakers are optimistic that he will be back in Los Angeles for next season. They need him to be back, considering he’s their best player off the bench.
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report predicted for Finney-Smith to return.
“You can also pencil in Dorian Finney-Smith back at a figure close to his player option ($15.4 million). His relationship with Dončić may make him a fixture with the franchise.”
Los Angeles still needs to find a center that they can put into the starting lineup to improve the defense. Finney-Smith is not good enough on offense to consider starting him, so they need a center who can make up for the mistakes that the backcourt makes.
Finney-Smith fits perfectly in Redick’s system. He’s a smart player, so he knows how to use his body to keep players from getting to the rack or dribbling right by him.
If Finney-Smith decides to opt out and become a free agent, it’s unlikely that the Lakers are able to bring him back. They will need to find someone else who can take his role on the team.
It’s unlikely that Finney-Smith will be able to find a team that will pay him more than that player option, so it would be very surprising to see him playing for another team next season.
Once he was traded to the Lakers, he averaged 7.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. He shot 44.2 percent from the field and 39.8 percent from the three-point line.
