Lakers Trade Acquisition Sends Warning on Future Contract Plans

Luka Dončić is the Los Angeles Lakers‘ prized trade acquisition this season. But Dorian Finney-Smith has been credited for the Lakers’ defensive turnaround since January.

Extending both of them in the offseason is the Lakers’ top priority on top of looking for a starting-caliber center.

Finney-Smith, 31, has a $15.4 million player option for next season, which he is expected to decline to get a longer deal, perhaps his last big contract in the NBA.

The veteran forward has hinted that he will not be taking a discount.

“You see what just happened with Luka (Dončić)? Finney-Smith said in a recent interview with Hoopshype.

The shocking trade of Dončić put all NBA players on notice. Loyalty to the team doesn’t guarantee their future.

“So, you’ve got to make sure you take care of yourself first,” Finney-Smith quickly added. “We need to finish the season strong. If we win, everybody eats (smiles).”

The Lakers were only limited to offering Finney-Smith a maximum of three years, $56.4 million after they traded for him in December. They could offer him the full four-year deal in the offseason.

Finney-Smith’s versatility is his ticket to a big contract extension this offseason. Elite 3-and-D players are hot commodities in today’s NBA. Fortunately for the Lakers, they inherited Finney-Smith’s Bird rights, meaning they could go over the cap to re-sign him to a lucrative extension beginning on June 30, when they traded for him. But there’s always the risk of another team overpaying for Finney-Smith similar to what happened to the New York Knicks and Isaiah Hartenstein in the previous offseason.

Hartenstein’s early Bird Rights capped the Knicks at offering him four years and $72.5 million. The Oklahoma City Thunder successfully pried him away from New York with a three-year, $87 million deal.

What Dorian Finney-Smith Brought to the Lakers

After having been on the trade market for so long, the Lakers were lucky to snag Finney-Smith without giving up a first-round draft capital.

The Lakers acquired Finney-Smith and reserve guard Shake Milton from the Brooklyn Nets for D’Angelo Russell, seldom-used second-year forward Maxwell Lewis and three future second-round draft picks on Dec. 29 last year.

Finney-Smith is averaging modest numbers of 6.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 29 games with the Lakers. But those numbers do not give justice to Finney-Smith’s real value to the team.

Since he arrived from the trade, the Lakers posted a 23-12 record, including 20-9 with him in the active lineup.

“He’s brought a level of toughness,” Redick said, per Clutchpoints’ Erik Slater. “Certainly communication and the spirit to want to defend. I think guys have responded well to who he is as a player, a teammate, a person. He’s just fit right in. Our season kind of turned around, and the energy and spirit of our group turned around when we got him. He’s been huge for us.”

The Lakers jumped from 21st in defensive rating before his arrival to No. 1 since Jan. 15.

DFS-Luka Chemistry

Finney-Smith and Dončić already have that built-in chemistry having played together before in Dallas, which greatly benefited the Lakers.

In their latest win — a 107-96 win over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, March 16, the former Mavericks duo led the Lakers in the plus-minus column, with each netting plus-16.

Dončić dropped 33 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists while Finney-Smith added 10 points, six rebounds and three assists. They combined for six of the Lakers’ 14 3-pointers in their return from a one-game absence to manage their old injuries.