By Bryan Fonseca
Dorian Finney-Smith is a Houston Rocket, which was a minor surprise to some.
The combo forward agreed to a four-year, $53 million deal at the start of free agency earlier this week and is one of the more notable roster-changing moves to have taken place so far this summer.
Lakers insider Anthony Irwin claimed on his The Lakers Lounge podcast that Los Angeles general manager Rob Pelinka took unusual steps to devalue wing Dorian Finney鈥慡mith during free agency negotiations.
Irwin said, 鈥淭he word out there is that Rob Pelinka was going out there and talking to teams about Dorian鈥檚 knee to try to tank Dorian鈥檚 free agency value and the offers that could potentially come in.鈥 He added, 鈥淲ord is that got back to Dorian and his camp.鈥濃
Irwin then clarified on X, saying that the injury he referenced was actually an ankle issue, not a knee issue, explaining, 鈥渉e misspoke.鈥
Finney鈥慡mith did indeed have left ankle surgery earlier this month.
If Irwin鈥檚 claim was true, it obviously wouldn鈥檛 be a great look for the Lakers because Pelinka鈥檚 reported efforts to warn other teams of Dorian鈥檚 health would not have had their desired affect.
Additionally, it didn鈥檛 work as Finney鈥慡mith opted out of his $15.4鈥痬illion Lakers player option and landed the aforementioned lucrative four-year pact in Houston.
A reliable 3-and-D forward, Finney-Smith played with the Nets and then went to the Lakers in the 2024鈥25.
He averaged 7.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists over 43 games with the Lakers, connecting on 39.8 percent of his 3-pointers.
He brought playoff experience and versatility, along with natural chemistry with Luka Doncic, with whom he played with in Dallas for five seasons.
To fill the void left by Finney鈥慡mith鈥檚 departure, the Lakers promptly signed Jake LaRavia to a two-year, $12 million contract, using their taxpayer mid-level exception.
LaRavia posted 6.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game across 66 appearances with Memphis and Sacramento in 2024鈥25.