Lakers' trade for Finney-Smith exposes hidden truth Mavericks knew all along

Noah Weber

Dorian Finney-Smith / Megan Briggs/GettyImages

All of the Dorian Finney-Smith trade rumors have finally been silenced after multiple seasons.

The Brooklyn Nets were seemingly shopping Dorian Finney-Smith ever since the Dallas Mavericks traded him there as part of the Kyrie Irving trade in 2023, and they finally moved him on Sunday. Brooklyn traded Finney-Smith and Shake Milton to the Los Angeles Lakers for D'Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis, and three second-round picks according to ESPN's Shams Charania, and Los Angeles is going to look like a completely different team after this blockbuster trade. Finney-Smith is one of the best 3-and-D wings in the NBA, and the numbers reflect that.

The Lakers landed Finney-Smith at the perfect time as he is shooting 43.5 percent from downtown and averaging 10.4 points per game, and while Los Angeles will undoubtedly be better after this move, it also confirmed a notion that the Mavericks knew all along.

Mavs avoided the trap of trading first-round picks for Finney-Smith

Despite being interested in trading for Finney-Smith last season, Dallas never pulled the trigger. They made a move for P.J. Washington instead, and by doing this, they didn't fall into Brooklyn's trap of trying to command first-round picks in a trade for him. There were even rumblings that a team offered the Nets multiple first-round picks for Finney-Smith at one point, but the Mavs stayed pat and didn't take the Nets' bait.

The Lakers landing Finney-Smith for multiple second-round picks shows that his true value wasn't the multiple first-round picks that the Nets originally tried to land for him, and Dallas dodged a bullet by holding onto their two tradeable first-round picks. There was some intel that teams were offering second-round draft capital for Finney-Smith earlier this season, and these rumors were proved true by the Lakers' move for him. The Mavs hadn't registered any reported interest in Finney-Smith this season, but it is known that they are looking for frontcourt help.

Finney-Smith could have given Dallas that, but even three second-round picks and Russell was a decently large haul. Draft capital is getting more valuable by the year with the new CBA, and there could be a better deal out there that the Mavs pursue to bolster their frontcourt.

With Finney-Smith heading to the Lakers, their wing depth took a huge jump forward and they could end up threatening Dallas in the Western Conference standings over the next few weeks as Luka Doncic is recovering from a calf strain. The Lakers are only 1.5 games behind Dallas for the No. 4 seed, and Finney-Smith could give them the flair that they need to make a run and secure a top seed.

Noah Weber

Noah Weber is the Site Expert for The Smoking Cuban, covering the Dallas Mavericks as a credentialed media member since the 2022-23 season. With a Bachelor of Science in Sports Media from Oklahoma State University, Noah has worked in sports journalism since 2019. While he's covered the Dallas Cowboys and Oklahoma State Cowboys, he has now established himself as a go-to voice for Mavericks coverage. Noah's expertise includes in-depth game analysis, social media content creation, and offering unique perspectives through his reporting. His work has been featured on major platforms such as ESPN, Bleacher Report, and Overtime. During his time at Oklahoma State, Noah won first place in the Oklahoma Broadcast Education Association Awards for a show he co-produced. Outside of covering the Mavs, Noah enjoys working out, playing basketball and Spikeball, and spending quality time with friends and family.