Rockets GM Thrilled About Signing ‘Fantastic’ Dorian-Finney Smith

One of the biggest reasons why the Houston Rockets have aced this summer is due to Dorian Finney-Smith signing.

From nailing the Kevin Durant blockbuster trade, Clint Capela reunion, and several extensions from Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith Jr., and Steven Adams, the Rockets simply shocked everyone by obtaining the commitment of Finney-Smith, inking the veteran to a four-year deal worth $54 million.

Landing his foot in H-Town, Finney-Smith brings a plethora of toughness, experience, versatility, and leadership. He was also a part of several contending groups from the past, and his presence will definitely be critical for this team’s NBA championship hunt in this forthcoming 2025-26 season.

As such, Rafael Stone deserves every bit of credit for securing Finney-Smith’s tremendous service. And in his recent appearance on The A-Team w/ Wexler & Clanton, the Rockets general manager was ecstatic and optimistic about what the undrafted forward can bring to their table.

“I’m very excited about Dorian. He’s been around a ton obviously — a great guy, great teammate, a really good addition to the room and obviously, a very good player.

“He can really shoot the ball and defensively, one of the things I kind of admired about him for years was just his ability to communicate defensively. It’s fantastic and I think it really elevates not just his own play, but the play of his teammates. I do think, again, going to Dillon [Brooks], I think there’s a lot about Dillon that we will miss. And so I, hopefully, Dorian’s really able to add his own element to us."

Behind Stone’s front-office wonders, gaining Finney-Smith is undeniably a major win on Houston’s offseason checklist. The 32-year-old hammered his case as a terrific 3-and-D role player, fully capable of guarding all five positions with his length while also being an adept knockdown shooter with a respectable 36.2 percent career three-point rate. With Dillon Brooks gone in the aftermath of the Durant transaction with the Phoenix Suns, having Finney-Smith as a replacement is tremendous.

Finney-Smith is set to join a stacked Rockets frontcourt being composed of Durant, Smith Jr., Tari Eason, and Amen Thompson. We can only fantasize about the terror he’ll bring on the perimeter alongside other Houston top defenders. And additionally, a player of his caliber perfectly fits like a glove for a staunch tactician like head coach Ime Udoka.

With six weeks left before the new season begins, we can only look forward to Finney-Smith helping the Rockets to potentially win it all.