Trade Proposal Sends Dorian Finney-Smith To Lakers, Rui Hachimura To Nets

One NBA analyst proposed that the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets come together for a trade this offseason. 

Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report proposed the following trade idea between the Lakers and Nets:

The Trade: The Los Angeles Lakers trade Rui Hachimura and the No. 17 pick to the Brooklyn Nets for Dorian Finney-Smith

The Lakers were interested in acquiring Finney-Smith at this year’s NBA trade deadline, so they could possibly speak with the Nets again this offseason. 

“Lakers fans who’ve been dreaming of adding a third star to the mix will certainly roll their eyes at this suggestion,” Buckley wrote. “Finney-Smith obviously isn’t an elite, and some might wonder if he’s enough of an upgrade to include the No. 17 pick (which becomes movable on draft night).

“In a vacuum, there maybe isn’t a ton of difference between the two forwards, but factor in fit, and Finney-Smith’s three-and-D game could be much more impactful than Hachimura’s score-first style.

“L.A. needs more two-way talent, better protection on the defensive perimeter and more shooting. The best version of Finney-Smith checks all three boxes. He is coming off of a down shooting season (34.8 percent), but Brooklyn lacked the kind of gravitational forces he’d have around him in L.A. And maybe LeBron James could help Finney-Smith rediscover the form he once flashed alongside Luka Dončić in Dallas (39.5 percent over the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons).”

Finney-Smith appeared in 68 games for the Nets this season. He averaged 8.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists while shooting 42.1% from the field, 34.8% from beyond the arc and 71.7% from the free-throw line. 

A Florida product, Finney-Smith will make $14.9 million next season. He has career averages of 8.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists with the Dallas Mavericks and Nets. 

“As for Brooklyn, if it agrees there isn’t a huge gap between Hachimura and Finney-Smith, then adding a top-20 pick would make this deal easily worth it,” Buckley wrote. “Hachimura (26) is on the exact same timeline as Mikal Bridges (27), so if the plan is still to try winning with the latter, the former can help with that. And if the Nets ever diverge from that plan, Hachimura should have decent (or better) value on the trade market.”

Hachimura averaged 13.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists for the Lakers this season in 68 games while shooting 53.7% overall, 42.2% from 3 and 73.9% from the foul line. He’ll make $17 million in 2024-25. 

The 26-year-old Hachimura has career averages of 12.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists with the Washington Wizards and Lakers. 

The Lakers lost to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of this year’s postseason, while the Nets missed the playoffs again. 

Los Angeles is expected to hire former NBA guard and current ESPN commentator JJ Redick as its new head coach.