Luka Doncic and Dorian Finney-Smith have been shut pals relationship again to their stint on the Dallas Mavericks collectively. Even earlier than reuniting on the Lakers within the wake of Doncic’s surprising commerce to L.A. final 12 months, the then-Mavericks star had mentioned Finney-Smith was “my man,” and predicted they’d workforce up once more sooner or later.
“I miss him a lot,” Doncic instructed reporters whereas nonetheless on the Mavs forward of a recreation in opposition to Finney-Smith’s then-team, the Brooklyn Nets. “I do know sooner or later, we’re gonna play once more, for certain. That’s my man.”
It didn’t take lengthy for that prediction to return true. By the following season, the Lakers had acquired each buddies in separate trades, one of many few issues Doncic had mentioned he was enthusiastic about within the wake of being blindsided by Nico Harrison’s Mavs banishment (through Lakers Nation):
“10. That’s my man man, that’s my man,” Doncic mentioned when requested to price his pleasure out of 10. “We mainly like, I really feel like we began taking part in basketball collectively in Dallas. We grew up as gamers collectively so I’m excited to play with him.”
Watching the 2 play, it’s no shock why he feels that approach. Doncic’s unparalleled heliocentrism on the ground frees up Finney-Smith for essentially the most open threes he’s ever going to take, and Finney-Smith’s tenacious protection permits Doncic to hold much less of a load at his measurement than he usually would on that finish of the ground.
Not solely that, however they seemed to be true pals off the courtroom too, from discuss of getting dinners when their groups met up on the street, to Finney-Smith being one in every of Doncic’s most outstanding defenders in opposition to the cacophony of weight-shaming he underwent from nameless sources upon exiting Dallas:
Dorian Finney-Smith on criticism about Luka Doncic’s weight: “S—, if I’m placing up them kind of numbers, perhaps I have to be 270” pic.twitter.com/pEkLY5730S
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 5, 2025
Finney-Smith made Luka’s life simpler, and Luka received Finney-Smith correctly valued and paid by creating an offensive position he may shine in. It was a symbiotic relationship, like a remora fish latching on to a shark, cleansing it in trade for cover from different predators.
All that preamble is to elucidate why it was stunning when the Lakers let Finney-Smith stroll to the Houston Rockets in free company, and particularly in order that they seemed to be resigned to that destiny nicely earlier than the opening bell for participant motion even started.
Why? Nicely, that’s the place issues get fascinating.
Why there are rumors of a rift between the Lakers and Dorian Finney-Smith
Along with the truth that a number of reporters have been indicating that Finney-Smith was doubtless a goner earlier than free company even began — a sign when studying between the traces that, at greatest, negotiations between DFS and the Lakers weren’t going nicely — there was then a report from Anthony Irwin of Clutch Factors that Finney-Smith’s camp felt like Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka had badmouthed the 32-year-old ahead to different groups who is perhaps interested by him:
That may be a fairly damning allegation, even with out mentioning that it might be a reasonably horrible plan anyway. Practically half the league had the mid-level exception to supply Finney-Smith, so it is unlikely that Pelinka may have pushed his worth down with each single suitor, even when that’s what he was making an attempt to do.
It’s doable that Pelinka didn’t deliberately attempt to undercut Finney-Smith — workforce executives discuss to one another on a regular basis, and it’s doable Pelinka was simply riffing together with his friends that the Lakers could not maintain Finney-Smith, with out nefarious intent — however that is most likely not nice for Pelinka’s already-shaky league-wide rep. He’s already broadly identified to not be well liked by lots of his friends from his days as a strong participant agent, which might additionally make it seem to be any plan to intentionally drive down Finney-Smith’s worth wouldn’t be good. In any case, what’s the upside in making an attempt to badmouth your new star’s shut good friend to individuals who (most likely) hate you and have an incentive to undercut you by telling Finney-Smith about what you mentioned if they need a bonus in making an attempt to signal him?
However even when Pelinka was not deliberately making an attempt to badmouth Finney-Smith, a number of insiders have made it clear that Finney-Smith’s camp was not proud of how negotiations went. Zach Lowe of The Ringer mentioned on a current episode of his eponymous podcast that he “heard negotiations have been going badly” between DFS and the Lakers, and that the talks “didn’t finish on good phrases.” His new boss, Invoice Simmons, went even additional on his personal self-named present:
“The Finney-Smith factor, I feel with the people who know this shit, it didn’t really feel like this was a sufficiently big story publicly that the Lakers screwed up the Finney-Smith factor. That him and his agent form of felt like Pelinka was negging his worth within the open market and telling groups he was harm. And so they came upon about it, they usually pulled again, they usually mentioned ‘that’s it, we’re not [negotiating anymore].’ Then they went and solicited the Houston factor.”
Finally, solely Pelinka, Finney-Smith and his reps will ever know the complete story of what went down, nevertheless it’s clear that issues received acrimonious between the 2 sides, even exterior of financial discussions.
Why this issues
Finally, the Lakers could have misplaced Finney-Smith for nothing it doesn’t matter what, even exterior of no matter fake pas his facet felt they dedicated. He received 4 years and $53 million from the Rockets — in a metropolis with no state earnings tax — and the Lakers reportedly solely provided him a two-year contract to attempt to maintain future cap house open. The latter nearly makes this all extra of a dumb self-own, as a result of for those who weren’t gonna pony as much as maintain the man anyway, there is no such thing as a incentive to piss off a detailed good friend of your just-arrived star on their approach out the door with a contentious negotiation.
Luka Doncic will change into eligible for a four-year extension value roughly $228.6 million on Aug. 2, in response to Silver Display screen and Roll cap ace Bryan Toporek. All the above is to not point out that Doncic wouldn’t signal an extension solely due to some tiff together with his good friend. NBA gamers know the league is a chilly enterprise. However no matter occurred between the Lakers and Finney-Smith seems to have gone past simply making him really feel undervalued or low-balled in wage discussions.
Whether or not that may have an effect on his buddy’s view of Los Angeles, Pelinka, or the prospect of extending his contract is anybody’s guess, however for those who’re the Lakers, it’s not the form of factor you need rattling round in his head when making an attempt to get him to commit an enormous chunk of his prime to you for much less cash than he would have gotten with the Mavericks. Luka’s already skilled a workforce primarily leaking that he’s a fats, lazy, loser on his approach out the door in Dallas, so it’s honest to surprise if he’d be cautious of any government who could do the identical.
And if that provides him pause on committing to Los Angeles long-term, if I have been incoming proprietor Mark Walter, nicely… I do know which celebration I’d be loyal to.
