The Los Angeles Lakers gave up D’Angelo Russell’s expiring contract, Maxwell Lewis, and three second-round draft picks to land Dorian Finney-Smith in late December 2024 only to watch him walk with zero return in free agency. Losing [Luka Doncic’s closest teammate hurt](https://lakeshowlife.com/los-angeles-lakers-kick-luka-doncic-closest-teammate-curb-dorian-finney-smith), but Doe-Doe was a key part of their rotation too. He played 35 minutes per game in the playoffs. The Lakers gave up those assets for 43 regular season and five playoff games of Finney-Smith.
It made sense at the time. DFS is the perfect role player for a contending team. He knocks down open shots, defends multiple positions, and doesn’t command the ball. Given his close relationship with Luka, it seemed like a no-brainer for Los Angeles to bring him back, but the Lakers chose future flexibility over giving him a four-year contract.
The franchise is doing the [opposite of what LeBron James wanted](https://lakeshowlife.com/lebron-worst-lakers-nightmare-comes-true-free-agency-kicks-off) and there are serious questions about the Lakers' ability to contend in crowded Western Conference after losing Finney-Smith. Beyond that, Pelinka turned the trade for DFS into a nightmare
Lakers gave up 3 draft picks for less than 50 games of Dorian Finney-Smith
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Here are the full details for the Dorian Finney-Smith trade from late December.
* **Lakers received**: Dorian Finney-Smith, Shake Milton
* **Nets received**: D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis, 3 2nd-round draft picks
Milton was not part of the Lakers playoff rotation and has a $3 million non-guaranteed salary for the 2025-26 season. He is certainly not a significant part of the team’s future plans.
Los Angeles is not flush with assets. Fans know they only have one tradeable first-round draft pick and four swaps to improve their roster around Luka and LeBron. They would love to have those three second-rounders to acquire a role player or sweeten a larger deal. Those are gone, and the Lakers have 43 regular season games and a first-round playoff exit to show for it.
Asset management is more important than ever in the second apron era. Teams can’t afford to give away a dollar or a draft pick. Pelinka failed to follow that by trading for Finney-Smith and refusing to re-sign him. $13.25 million per year for DFS is a bargain. The Lakers should have matched or exceeded that to keep him in LA. Instead, they let him walk for nothing and ruined a strong trade in the process.
Fans should be questioning the team’s plans after letting Finney-Smith walk. The Lakers have a prime superstar and an aging one leading their roster. They should be all-in on winning in 2026 and beyond, but it appears the front office is prioritizing cap space in the summer of 2026 over competing for a championship.
The Los Angeles Lakers gave up three draft picks to get half a season of Dorian Finney-Smith. It is the type of deal the franchise did not need to make if they didn’t plan on keeping him around. Instead, those assets went to waste as Finney-Smith walked to Houston in free agency. Chalk it up as another disastrous move by Rob Pelinka.