Lakers forward Dorian Finney-Smith has decided to turn down his player option for the 2025/26 season, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The option would have been worth $15.4MM.
Finney-Smith’s decision will make him an unrestricted free agent and multiple teams are expected to pursue him when the free agent period officially opens on Monday evening, per Charania. However, a return to the Lakers remains in play for the 32-year-old as well.
Having been traded from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in December, Finney-Smith appeared in 43 games for the Lakers, making 20 starts. He averaged 7.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 28.8 minutes per game, posting a shooting line of .442/.398/.714.
While Finney-Smith’s box-score numbers certainly don’t jump off the page, his midseason arrival helped fuel a defensive turnaround in L.A. and his reliable three-point shooting helped space the floor on offense.
His impact was reflected by his on/off-court numbers — no Lakers rotation player had a better regular season net rating than Finney–Smith’s +11.1 mark in 1,239 minutes. The club had a -3.5 mark in the 1,214 minutes he didn’t play after the trade.
If Finney-Smith doesn’t return to the Lakers, they’ll have more spending power in free agency, with the ability to use the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($14.1MM) and perhaps the bi-annual exception ($5.1MM) too, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). However, it would mean losing a key member of their rotation.
Finney-Smith was the No. 20 free agent on our top-50 list entering the offseason. This summer may represent his best chance at one last big-time payday.
Can Warriors use non taxpayer MLE?
I don’t know if Kuminga cap hit is $23 million or QO 8 million?
The qualifying offer is more of a placeholder so the hit right now is 8 mil
Smith doesn’t fit Warriors needs. By Smith opting out means he wants a long term deal for more money.
Why would he turn down his option to take a non-tax-payer MLE for $1M+ less? I suppose he’d only do that if it were part of a multi-year contract that went up in subsequent years.
Lakers have his Bird rights. They can pay him more. They are hard capped at 2nd level and that will be the more restrictive thing. Fitting 14 guys under that level 2 if you have to pay DFS a lot. They had $16 m remaining before he opted out. Now they have $31.6. But 11 players. 2nd rd pick needs to be deducted too. So call it 12 players and $30m. Pay him $20, mid level at 5.7. You’ve got $4m left for 2 people. And the note above about maybe having both mid-level and bi-annual. You can’t use them both in same year.
Made a mistake. One space left at $4m.
Instead of resigning DFS, the Lakers should use the non-taxpayer MLE to get Nikeil Alexander-Walker instead. Get younger, get a more aggressive 3 point shooter, and at least as good a point of attack defender.
Use their 31 pick, Knecht, Maxi’s and Vincent salaries to get a good center and back up centers. If nothing else at least Capela and Kornet or Capela and Lopez combo. Yes, a lot to pay for those guys, but they may have to.
IMO, they won’t have a problem signing one of Lopez or Capella. I predict Lopez.
Losing DFS would be a major blow, even if they land NAW. Lakers MUST have 2 high-end wing/point-of-attack defenders to contend.
With Luka + Reaves + LeBron, the Lakers are in the same position that Dallas was 2 years ago with a Luka + Kyrie backcourt. Until Dallas added 2 defense-first starters (Jones and Gafford), they got outscored too often.
Somehow the Lakers survived in the regular season by not defending the 3 point line after acquiring Luka, but we saw in the playoffs against Minnesota how that ultimately works out.
I live in SoCal, but used to watch the Mavs cause I am a Luka fan. So, I am very familiar with DFS and really like his defensive play. But if it is a choice between 32 yo DFS and 26 yo NAW, I would take Walker.
The way I can see them being able to get/keep both and sign a Capela and another back up center is if they can use their 31 pick to offload Maxi, Vincent and Vando to the Nets for Salary dump. Then they can use non-taxpayer MLE on NAW, keep DFS and sign decent center or two.
He wasn’t worth that 15 million to begin with it.
I can’t wait to see what dumb team overpays him.
His on/off numbers would like a word…