NBA Trade Rumors: Heat Interested in Mavs’ Dorian Finney-Smith; What Deals Work?
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The Dallas Mavericks (27-25) currently sit as the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference with the trade deadline just one week away.
As rumors swirl around the Mavs, one fan favorite has found himself involved in several trade speculation.
Rumored on Five On The Floor, a Miami Heat podcast, the Heat are “registering interest” in Mavericks forward Dorian Finney-Smith.
Finney-Smith has been a popular name of late as he was recently linked to the Utah Jazz, who reportedly have 'strong interest' in the Mavericks forward, per The Athletic.
Shams Charania of The Athletic added that teams around the league “have gotten the impression” that the Mavs would be willing to move Finney-Smith “in the right deal for a star-caliber player.”
For sun, let's play ball here: what would trading Finney-Smith to Miami look like?
If it's for Duncan Robinson's albatross contract, that's an automatic no deal. Robinson has one of the worst contracts in the league, whereas Finney-Smith has one of the most team-friendly contracts.
What about a trade package of Kyle Lowry and Nikola Jovic for DFS and another filler contract like Tim Hardaway Jr. or Christian Wood, though? Lowry has definitely lost a step, or two, but could help bolster Dallas' backcourt and playmaking depth. He'll also be operating on an expiring deal next season.
We know the Mavs covet a second star to pair next to Luka Doncic, so could they cobble up enough assets to convince Miami to let go of Bam Adebayo or Jimmy Butler? That’s getting more into the “pipe-dream” category, but that’s likely the kind of situation Dallas is searching for.
Point blank, Finney-Smith is the epitome of what “Heat Culture” is made of and would fit perfectly with Miami, but that comes with a hefty price to pry him away from Dallas. Finney-Smith is the type of player, who's on the type of team-friendly contract, that any team in the league would love to acquire.
It seems highly unlikely that Dallas would trade a team and fan favorite in Finney-Smith, especially if it’s not in a deal that nets them a co-star for Doncic. But, if there's a deal out there that makes the team better now and in the future, that's something GM Nico Harrison and company need to seriously consider.
Again, no one on the Mavs’ roster but No. 77 should untouchable.
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