Old JJ Redick Tweet Resurfaces Following Lakers Trade of Dorian Finney-Smith

Dec 23, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick watches game action against the Detroit Pistons during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers shook up the NBA world on Sunday when they acquired one of the best players on the trading block, Dorian Finney-Smith, from the Brooklyn Nets.

The Lakers acquired Finney-Smith and Shake Milton and traded away D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis, and three second-round picks.

This trade should make the Lakers a better team as they get back two pieces who can immediately impact the team on both sides of the ball. Not only are Laker fans excited for the arrival of Finney-Smith, but so is Lakers head coach JJ Redick.

An old tweet of Redick from 2022 has resurfaced following the Lakers' trade for Finney-Smith, and it shows how big of a fan Redick is of his new player/former teammate.

How can u not love DFS.

— JJ Redick (@jj_redick) May 8, 2022

Redick didn't stop there. In his old podcast, "The Old Man and the Three," Redick raved about Finney-Smnith, saying that he is a player who can be plugged into any team and impact it.

“I just have to shout out because I love watching him play. I have played against him for a few years now, and he does so many things that don’t show up on a box score, and that’s Dorian Finney-Smith. He’s just an awesome player and he’s a player that could fit on any team in the NBA. I think he’s incredibly valuable, a great defender, hustles, makes all the plays.”

JJ Redick shouting out DFS in 2021 when they were teammates in Dallas https://t.co/lHGX6GJutv pic.twitter.com/zyFGARRK0v

— Alex Burns (@AlexBurnsHoops) December 29, 2024

Redick is a big fan of Finney-Smith, and now he will be able to coach him in Los Angeles. Redick and Finney-Smith were teammates for about half a season in 2021 with the Dallas Mavericks.

Redick was traded to the Mavericks in March 2021 and made his debut with them a few weeks later. The Mavericks were ultimately eliminated in the first round of the 2021 playoffs by the Los Angeles Clippers.

Redick was only a teammate with Finney-Smith for about a month, but he loved what he provided to the team. He guards positions one through four if needed, and he is also a positive on offense.

Finney-Smith will greatly help the Lakers, and I'm sure Redick can't wait to see him do what he does best in the purple and gold.

The 31-year-old is a former undrafted player from the University of Florida. Now, he will be a massive piece for Los Angeles as they look to compete and make a deep playoff run this season.

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