The Los Angeles Lakers took plenty of heat when Dorian Finney-Smith walked in free agency last summer.
A year later, the decision looks a lot easier to defend.
Finney-Smith is now headed to his third team since leaving Los Angeles, with Charlotte trading the veteran forward to Atlanta for Buddy Hield, Ryan Nembhard and cash considerations, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
That move comes only two months after Houston dumped Finney-Smith and three second-round picks on the Hornets for cash considerations. The Rockets had signed him to a four-year, $53 million deal in July 2025 after his Lakers exit.
The sequence does not erase how useful Finney-Smith was in Los Angeles. But it does put last summer’s controversy in a different light.
Lakers Were Criticized for Letting Finney-Smith Walk
Finney-Smith averaged 7.9 points and shot 39.8% from 3-point range after arriving from Brooklyn in December 2024. He became one of JJ Redick’s most trusted defensive pieces and appeared to be an obvious fit next to Luka Doncic.
His departure, however, became messy.
Multiple reports indicated Finney-Smith’s camp believed Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka had hurt his market by raising concerns about the forward’s health to other teams. The Ringer’s Zach Lowe said negotiations “didn’t end on good terms,” while Bill Simmons reported Finney-Smith and his agent felt Pelinka was “negging his value” and telling teams he was hurt.
Finney-Smith subsequently pulled away from talks with Los Angeles and found the longer deal in Houston. At the time, the Lakers were widely criticized for losing a useful 3-and-D wing, particularly one close to Doncic.
The health concerns, though, proved difficult to dismiss.
Finney-Smith’s Injury Issues Followed Him to Houston
Finney-Smith underwent left ankle surgery in June 2025 after dealing with the injury for years. He had already missed eight games with the Lakers and 12 with Brooklyn because of ankle-related problems.
Houston knew the surgery would affect his availability, and coach Ime Udoka confirmed before the 2025-26 season that Finney-Smith would miss opening night while still recovering.
He never fully regained his Lakers form.
Finney-Smith appeared in only 37 games for Houston, averaging 3.3 points and 2.5 rebounds while shooting a career-low 27% from 3-point range. He eventually fell out of the rotation and was a coach’s decision DNP late in March.
Houston then attached three second-round picks simply to move his contract to Charlotte.
Now Charlotte has moved on before Finney-Smith even played a regular-season game for the Hornets.
Lakers’ Judgment Looks Better in Hindsight
There is still no evidence Pelinka was right to undercut Finney-Smith’s market, if that was in fact what happened. The allegation came from Finney-Smith’s side and league reporting, not an admission from the Lakers.
But the basketball calculation looks more defensible today.
The Lakers passed on giving a four-year commitment to a 32-year-old wing coming off ankle surgery. Since then, Finney-Smith has struggled to stay healthy, lost effectiveness, been salary-dumped by Houston and moved again by Charlotte.
Los Angeles was criticized for walking away.
One year and two trades later, the decision looks far less reckless than it did at the time.
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