The Los Angeles Lakers appear to have made the right call in letting Dorian Finney-Smith walk to the Rockets in free agency last offseason. The decision drew criticism at the time. However, with the Lakers up 2-0 on the Rockets in the first round of the playoffs, the organisation’s choice looks increasingly astute.
Finney-Smith’s Limited Playoff Role
Few would have predicted before the season that the Lakers would hold a 2-0 lead over the Rockets in the first round. Even fewer would have believed that Finney-Smith, if healthy, would play zero minutes in those two games.
He’s been watching his old team dominate his new team from the sideline. It’s been so bad that you might’ve even forgotten that he was in Houston.
Financial Flexibility and Contract Structure
Los Angeles wanted to create as much future financial flexibility as possible for the coming offseason and 2027. This led to one of Luka Dončić’s former Dallas teammates departing.
The Lakers received criticism when the details of Finney-Smith’s contract with the Rockets emerged. Only the first two years of his four-year, $53 million deal with Houston are guaranteed. The question was raised whether LA could have structured his contract similarly.
Impact of Ankle Surgery
Rob Pelinka and the front office could not have foreseen Finney-Smith’s season with the Rockets. It’s a great thing they didn’t re-sign him.
Perhaps Finney-Smith would have benefitted from remaining with the Lakers. However, his performance has declined so much that it’s hard to argue it would’ve made a significant difference, especially considering his offseason ankle surgery. The Lakers would not have been able to escape the lingering effects of that.
Finney-Smith didn’t make his regular-season debut until Christmas. He averaged only 3.3 points on 33.3% shooting from the field and 27% from three in 16.8 minutes per contest. He has been far from the 3-and-D option that Houston needed to round out what it thought was a championship-caliber roster.
Looking Ahead
As enjoyable as it is to see Los Angeles head to Houston for Games 3 and 4 with the upperhand, fans shouldn’t take any satisfaction in Finney-Smith’s struggles. Hopefully, for his sake, his health won’t get in the way of him turning things around (at least a little bit) next season.