Dorian Finney Smith, who is expected to steal Lakers from the free agents in the offseason
After the 2025 playoffs, the Rockets made large-scale trades to upgrade their roster. They reached a deal with the Suns and won two-time NBA champion Kevin Durant.
In that deal, the Rockets gave up Jaylen Green, Dillon Brooks, the 10th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and five second-round picks. According to league insiders, the Rockets have not added a roster. Dan Woike sports Houston is reportedly expected to steal Dorian Finney Smith from the free agent Lakers in the offseason. When they lost Finney-Smith, this opened the money for them to sign the center paired with Luka Doncic.
Dorian Finney-Smith may be the sixth man in Houston in 2025-26
The Lakers are in free agency Dorian Finney-Smith’s multi-year contract with the Houston Rockets, @danwoikesports
“Losing valuable wings like Finney-Smith (and Dončić’s beloved teammates) will create gaps on the perimeter, but his exit will open… pic.twitter.com/skedjafehg
– nbacentral (@thedunkcentral) June 30, 2025
During the offseason, the Houston Rockets actively improved their 2025-26 squad. Last season, the team scored the second best record in the Western Conference. However, they lost to Golden State in the first round of the playoffs. Despite believing in the young core they built, they made a shocking trade to acquire Kevin Durant. This is not the only upgrade the Rockets plan to make before next season.
Dan Woike of Track and Field reported that the Lakers were preparing to lose Dorian Finney-Smith to the free agent Lakers in the offseason. Finney-Smith started the 2023-24 season with the Nets. In late December, Brooklyn traded Finney-Smith to the Los Angeles Lakers. The veteran’s forward played 40 of his 82 regular season games and started 20 games. Finney-Smith became a full-time starter when the Lakers bought Luka Doncic.
Rockets prepare to offer Dorian Finney-Smith a four-year contract to lure him away from Luca and the Lakers @thesteinline
🍿🍿🍿🍿 pic.twitter.com/3AZKD4EQS0
– Legion Basketball (@legionhoops) June 30, 2025
Doncic and he played four and a half seasons in Dallas and reunited in Los Angeles. However, the Lakers are expected to lose to the Rockets this offseason. Although the Lakers lost a valuable wing in Finney-Smith, his departure space signed a center in the offseason. This has been the Lakers’ long-term goal since the Lakers signed Luka Doncic.
Additionally, Dan Woike reports that any deal between the Lakers and the center is short-term. He said the team is saving its cap space for the 2026 offseason, when several top players will become free agents. The Lakers are looking for another star to pair with Doncic as LeBron James is at the end of his career.
