The Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the best NBA teams this season, entering NBA games today with the fourth-best record in the Western Conference and sitting eighth in the latest NBA power rankings. With the club off to a strong start, NBA rumors are already swirling about potential trade additions.
Los Angeles has already been heavily connected to Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine and center Nikola Vucevic. Likewise, Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas and Portland Trail Blazers big man Robert Williams III are among the top NBA trade candidates the Lakers have some interest in.
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However, there’s reportedly another deal Los Angeles has repeatedly gone back to even months out from the NBA trade deadline. According to Anthony Irwin of Clutch Points, the Lakers have been in “constant contact” with the Brooklyn Nets about a trade for Dorian Finney-Smith.
- Dorian Finney-Smith stats (ESPN): 10.8 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.8 APG, 46.6% FG, 41% 3PT
This isn’t the first time Finney-Smith has been on the team’s radar. Irwin also noted that the Lakers front office looked into him last season but a deal didn’t come together. Less than a year later, Los Angeles seems to be making him one of its early priorities.
The 31-year-old wing makes sense for the Lakers for a variety of reasons. First, his salary this season means that the Lakers could realistically afford to take him on without having to add key players back in the deal to match salaries.
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- Dorian Finney-Smith contract (Spotrac): $14.924 million salary in 2024-’25, $15.378 million player option for 2025-’26 season
Finney-Smith would also significantly improve the Lakers’ rotation. This season, the 6-foot-7 forward is shooting a career-best 41 percent from the perimeter (1.6 three-pointers made per game). He’s also recorded his highest Win Shares per 48 Minutes (.092) since 2021-’22.
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While Finney-Smith is the player the Lakers are discussing most often with Brooklyn, Irwin also noted that Los Angeles is maintaining interest in small forward Cameron Johnson.
The 28-year-old is averaging a career-high 19.1 points per game this season, shooting nearly 50 percent from the field and 43.1 percent from the perimeter. However, he’d cost a stronger trade package and he’s under contract for the next three seasons at a $23.625 million salary.