Here’s why the Dorian Finney-Smith trade is perfect
The NBA got a bit of payback on the NFL today by stealing the headline of the day before the 10 a.m. games even got kicked off. The Los Angeles Lakers have officially sent D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis, and three second-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton.
This move comes in the wake of the Lakers playing a very good stretch of basketball as of late. We’ve seen the emergence of players like Austin Reaves, Max Christie, and Gabe Vincent in their roles, and with LeBron and AD’s continued dominance, it’s become clear that this is a team worth investing in.
Russell remained stagnant while all the aforementioned players were taking leaps in their roles. Through his average to below-average play this season, D’Angelo Russell established himself as the team’s odd man out. A far cry from the type of play that made him a fan favorite in his return to LA.
This was the perfect first move to make as this trade season begins.
The Lakers land a versatile, 3-and-D addition with Dorian Finney-Smith, who is shooting a career-high 44% from 3-point land. L.A. also creates salary and luxury tax flexibility, saving $15 million. Nets receive draft capital and clean salaries in return. pic.twitter.com/uyKzvMG6zf
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 29, 2024
Dorian Finney-Smith’s Fit
Dorian Finney-Smith is a godsend for the Lakers. I’m not sure there was a better move out there without giving up a first-round pick to land a star. Finney-Smith will instantly fix holes within this Lakers team.
This season, the 6’7 forward has been fantastic. Shooting 44% from three, he’s established a new career-high and will instantly fill holes for this team.
Reaves’s playmaking emergence and the team’s collective rise in three-point shooting have rendered Russell nearly useless. By swapping out Russell for Finney-Smith, they’re exchanging subpar shooting and average playmaking for above-average shooting, defending, and more help on the glass than Russell provided.
There are few reasons why this trade won’t work out. The only thing we can hope for from Finney-Smith is that he doesn’t become infected with the Lakers’ shooting curse.
SHAKE MILTON IS A BUCKET 🌴 pic.twitter.com/8hPU28cEEC
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) December 29, 2024
Shake Milton’s Fit
While the “star” of this trade is Dorian Finney-Smith, Milton is not a player to brush over. The 6’5 rangy guard has played well this season, especially as of late. Over his last ten games, Milton has averaged 11/3/3 and a steal a game.
For the course of the season, Milton is shooting 39% from three and averaging 7.5 PPG. You can look at those stats and think it’s not much to look at, but you have to remember who he’s replacing. Milton is essentially replacing Maxwell Lewis on this team.
Lewis showed promise coming out of Pepperdine University when the Lakers used a second-round pick on the wing. He has been stuck with the G-League team in his years with the Lakers and never really took any strides to change that.
Swapping out a former second-round pick who never contributed to the games for a 6’5 guard with the potential to go off for 20+ points against the likes of a Milwaukee Bucks team is a big move.
Moving Forward
This move will make the team much better, and we won’t need much time to see that proven. However, this one trade alone is not enough to take this team to the top. One more is needed.
Thankfully, the Lakers didn’t give up any first-round picks, and while Russell was our most tradeable contract, those picks matter.
There is still a lot of time before the February 6th trade deadline, and if the team is able to package one of those first-rounders for a legitimate backup big man, get your Lakers futures in while you can.
Lakers trade D’Angelo Russell to acquire Dorian Finney-Smith
