Report: Jazz Have 'Strong Interest' in Mavs' Dorian Finney-Smith
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The rumors centered around the Utah Jazz continue to trickle in as we approach the February 9 NBA trade deadline. The latest is from The Athletic's Shams Charania regarding Dallas Mavericks forward Dorian Finney-Smith.
“The Jazz are expressing strong interest in Mavericks forward Dorian Finney-Smith, as teams have gotten the impression that Dallas would be open to moving the 29-year-old in the right deal for a star-caliber player, sources say. The Mavericks have an incredibly high price threshold for teams reaching out about Finney-Smith, rival executives say."
Taking a glance at the Jazz roster, this would make a lot of sense. Utah has an abundance of shooting guards and lacks forwards who can stretch the floor in half-court sets. Finney-Smith averages 8.9 points a game and is a career 35.9% three-point shooter.
Jazz fans may recall Finney-Smith averaging 13.1 ppg in the playoff series that eliminated Utah in the first round of the 2022 playoffs. Finney-Smith was part of an offense that attacked Utah by stretching the floor with five three-point shooters that contributed to management’s decision to break down the roster last summer.
If a deal were to be had, expect Jazz shooting guard Malik Beasley to be part of the equation. The contracts match up nicely and would clear a path for rookie Ogai Agbaji to get an increase in minutes to develop.
Based on previous rumors, this one lines up with Utah’s need to fill a void at the forward position. John Collins of the Atlanta Hawks is the other name to keep an eye on.
The Hawks starting forward has been linked to Utah dating back to last summer, and the Jazz are in a position to make moves for players that have the same skill set as Collins or Finney-Smith.
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