The Houston Rockets have signed two-way wing Dorian Finney-Smith to a four-year, $53 million contract, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
This is an embarrassment of riches for the Rockets, adding to what has been an impeccable summer.
They already re-signed Steven Adams, Jabari Smith Jr. and Fred VanVleet to team-friendly deals, which allowed them to open up their mid-level exception. None of that even mentions them trading for 15-time All-Star Kevin Durant. Now, they’ve gone out and stolen Finney-Smith from the Los Angeles Lakers after he declined his $15 million player option to test free agency.
Grade: A+
The richer get richer here, with the Rockets adding another defensive-minded wing to their rotation after losing Dillon Brooks in the Durant deal. Finney-Smith is a versatile defender who guards multiple positions and is stout at the point of attack. He also shot 38 percent from three over the last two seasons.
Ultimately, this is a major win for the Rockets, which have now become deeper and more talented over the past two weeks. They look like major players to contend for an NBA championship next season.
On the other hand, this is a tough blow for the Lakers, which traded Maxwell Lewis, D’Angelo Russell and three second-round picks last season to acquire Finney-Smith, who has a close relationship with franchise pillar Luka Doncic.
That said, it did open up their own mid-level exception to go out and chase a starting center, which they need more desperately than a wing defender. Although, they aren’t in a position to be picky. They need help across the board if they want to field a title contender around Doncic and LeBron James, and don’t have a ton of cap flexibility to add said help.
We’ll see if the Lakers end up signing a big man like Brook Lopez or DeAndre Ayton to help ease the pain of losing Finney-Smith.
