Lakers' Negotiations With Dorian Finney-Smith Went 'Badly' Says NBA Insider

Apparently, the Lakers didn't want to keep Finney-Smith as badly as some fans did.

Apr 27, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Dorian Finney-Smith (17) celebrates after scoring a three pointer agains the Minnesota Timberwolves in the fourth quarter during game four of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images | Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers traded for Dorian Finney-Smith this season to help bring some defense to the lineup. It was also a way for them to get rid of D'Angelo Russell.

Instead of re-signing Finney-Smith or possibly getting something back for him in a sign-and-trade, Finney-Smith decided to sign a massive deal with the Rockets instead.

Finney-Smith signed a four-year deal worth $53 million to move on to Houston. Apparently, negotiations did not go over well between him and the Lakers, who were interested in bringing him back for next season.

Read more: Lakers Targeting Celtics Champion in Potential Blockbuster Free Agent Signing

It doesn't sound like the Lakers and Finney-Smith will be exchanging Christmas cards anytime soon. According to Zach Lowe on the Zach Lowe show, negotiations did not go well.

Lowe says the Lakers’ negotiations with DFS went badly and ended on bad terms pic.twitter.com/zCyBk8jg6I

— Harrison Faigen (@hmfaigen) July 2, 2025

"On Saturday, I said, 'Keep an eye on the Finney-Smith situation. That's going to be the tell for me for how the Lakers are thinking about things.' Because I heard that negotiations were going badly. And I said, will he even opt out? Do the Lakers even want to pay him? The answer to that turned out to be no, they didn't want to pay him, and he opted out, and I don't think they ended on very good terms."

It sounds like Finney-Smith and the Lakers were very far apart when it comes to what they were looking to pay him. Finney-Smith wanted to make more money than Los Angeles was willing to spend.

The Lakers still need to find a starting center this summer. That is the biggest issue that remains with their starting lineup. They are running out of options on that front, too.

More Lakers news: Lakers Targeting Big Man From West Rival in Trade Talks: Report

Finney-Smith was one of the best perimeter defenders that the Lakers had. They don't have anyone who is as good of a defender as Finney-Smith currently on the roster.

Defense was one of the biggest reason why they were eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in just five games in the first round of the playoffs.

This past year with the Lakers, Finney-Smith averaged 7.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. He shot 44.2 percent from the field and 39.8 percent from three.

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