Dorian finney smith trade: Defense,Position,Contract,Stats

The Nets have traded veteran forward Dorian Finney-Smith to the Lakers for draft picks — and the return of the prodigal son. Today we will discuss about Dorian finney smith trade: Defense,Position,Contract,Stats.

Dorian finney smith trade: Defense,Position,Contract,Stats

The Los Angeles Lakers have traded point guard D’Angelo Russell to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for forward Dorian Finney-Smith and guard Shake Milton, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports.

Finney-Smith provides a better fit for a Lakers lineup in need of shooting and defense on the wing. The nine-year veteran is averaging 10.4 points (second best of his career) and 4.6 rebounds, shooting a career-best 44% (47-for-108) on 3s. With a height of 6 feet 7 inches, he can guard all three positions on the court.

In his second stint with the Lakers, Russell was performing poorly this season, averaging career highs of 12.4 points and 4.7 assists while shooting 33% on 3-pointers. He returned to Brooklyn, where he was an All-Star in 2018–19, and replaces Dennis Schroder, who was traded to the Golden State Warriors two weeks ago.

Lakers coach JJ Redick moved Russell into a reserve role to provide scoring and playmaking off the bench. Yet his defense was often problematic, resulting in a larger role for Max Christie.

Over his last three games, Christie has averaged 16.3 points and 1.3 steals and shot 47% on 3s. Overall, the third-year guard is averaging 7.2 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 36% from long range.

Russell, 28, is in the final year of his contract with a salary of $18.7 million this season. He was originally the Lakers’ first round pick (No. 2 overall) in the 2015 NBA Draft out of Ohio State. Finney-Smith, 31, has a salary of $14.9 million and will be paid $15.4 million with a player option for next season.

Milton should bring added defense and playmaking to the Lakers’ second unit. Stepping into the Nets’ starting lineup after the Schroder trade, he scored a combined 36 points in his last two games and dished out 12 assists in a 96-87 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Friday. For the season, Milton averaged 7.4 points and 2.4 assists.

The Los Angeles Lakers landed Dorian Finney-Smith in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday, but they had to sneak around another Western Conference team to get the deal done.

The Lakers sent D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis and three second-round picks (2027, ’30, ’31) in exchange for Finney-Smith and Shake Milton. They were not the only party interested in Finney-Smith.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Lakers swooped in to beat out the Memphis Grizzlies’ offer for the veteran forward. Steen claims Memphis’ offer was focused on John Conchard and Luke Kennard as well as a heavily-protected first-round pick. The Nets preferred LA’s offer of three second-rounders.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Lakers swooped in to beat out the Memphis Grizzlies’ offer for the veteran forward. Steen claims Memphis’ offer was focused on John Conchard and Luke Kennard as well as a heavily-protected first-round pick.

The Nets preferred LA’s offer of three second-rounders.

This is the second time the Lakers have traded Russell to the Nets. In June of 2017, Russell and Timofey Mozgov were sent to Brooklyn in exchange for the draft rights to Brook Lopez and Kyle Kuzma.

Russell is averaging 12.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 26.3 minutes per game and is making $18.7 million in the final year of his contract. Lewis is a former second-round pick who has great potential, but has yet to see significant playing time in the NBA. The 22-year-old has only seen action in 41 games over his two-year career and has averaged 3.2 minutes in those contests.

The Lakers pursued Finney-Smith for a long time and finally got their man on Sunday. The 31-year-old forward is averaging 10.4 points and 4.6 rebounds in 29.0 minutes per game this season, while shooting a career-high 43.5% from three-point range. He is making $14.9 million this season and has a player option worth $15.4 million for the 2025-26 campaign.

Defense

For the second time in his career, D’Angelo Russell is moving out of Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Lakers have sent Russell, teammate Maxwell Lewis and three second-rounders to the Brooklyn Nets for forward Dorian Finney-Smith and guard Shake Milton, league sources confirmed to The Athletic. ESPN was the first to report this news.

According to league sources, the Nets will receive the Lakers’ second-round picks in 2027, 2030 and 2031.

League sources said the Memphis Grizzlies were also involved with the Nets in trade talks for Finney-Smith, but Brooklyn decided to accept the Lakers’ offer.

Nets general manager Sean Marks will acquire Russell, the former No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft and 2019 All-Star with Brooklyn, for the second time in eight years. In 2017, Brooklyn received Russell and Timofey Mozgov from the Lakers in exchange for Brook Lopez and the No. 27 pick, which the Lakers used on Kyle Kuzma.

Russell, 28, has been in trade rumors since re-signing with the Lakers after being acquired from the Minnesota Timberwolves in February 2022. He opted out of the final year of his contract but has been on the block since then. After averaging 18 points per game and shooting 41 percent from 3 last season, Russell has struggled in 2024-25, averaging just 12.4 points per game on 41.5 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from 3. He was recently dropped from the starting lineup. ,

Finney-Smith, 31, is averaging 10.4 points per game this season while shooting a career-high 43.5 percent from 3.

The Nets’ approach in this deal is clear: maximize their tradeable players for the future. Finney-Smith always made sense as the next player for the team after Dennis Schroder was dealt to the Golden State Warriors earlier this month.

League officials noted Finney-Smith’s low salary (he will make less than $15 million this season and has a player option for $15.4 million next year) and the complexity of any potential trade involving forward Cam Johnson, whose there is one nearby.

Position

The Los Angeles Lakers were expected to be active in the trade market this offseason, but you can never be sure based on the way they have played out this past year. They were linked to several big names at the 2023 trade deadline, but ultimately fell through. They pursued Klay Thompson in free agency, but stuck around the entire offseason without bringing in a single new veteran to join the roster. The Lakers want to win, yes, but they’re also dealing with the reality that LeBron James will turn 40 on Monday and if they want to compete after he’s gone they’ll have to be careful how they use their assets. Will spend.

On Sunday, they attempted to find a middle ground by swapping D’Angelo Russell and three second-round picks for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets. The Brooklyn side of the equation was much more straightforward. The Nets have been open for business since dealing Mikal Bridges in June, and they already shipped out Dennis Schroder earlier this month. This deal continues that trend for Brooklyn, and it gives the Lakers a nudge in the right direction, so let’s grade the deal for both sides.

Dorian finney smith trade: Defense,Position,Contract,Stats

The Lakers are walking a difficult path right now. If the last 18 months are any indication, they are not true championship contenders. After investing a large number of draft picks into the competition between 2019 and 2023, the reality of their situation has recently emerged. LeBron James is 40 years old, and as good as he is still, he is clearly in decline.

Anthony Davis is 31 years old, and although he is still playing at a high level, he is injury prone and is probably nearing the end of his prime. Continuing to blindly give up first-round picks that could have been used to rebuild after they were gone was no longer responsible.

Contract

Stats