With Dorian Finney-Smith joining the Lakers, vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka has gone on the record describing what the forward can contribute to the team.
On Sunday, the Lakers traded D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis and second-round picks to the Nets in exchange for Dorrian Finney Smith and Shake Milton.
The trade shakes up the Lakers’ roster, providing a 3-and-D wing and a guard the team can use.
We already know Redick has been a fan of DFS for years, but now the Lakers have released an official statement from vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka regarding the trade.
“We want to thank D’Angelo for his second stint with us, where we celebrated some great moments and accomplishments on the court together.” said Rob Pelinka, the Lakers’ general manager and vice president of basketball operations, in a statement released by the team. “We want to wish him and Maxwell Lewis well in their future endeavors with the Brooklyn Nets.
“With this trade, we are thrilled to add the physicality, toughness and elite shooting that Dorian Finney-Smith will bring to our core. We also greatly value the playmaking of Shake Milton. We are excited for our fans to get both of these players out on the court.”
Pelinka’s comments on DFS come off very strong and matches exactly the type of player every NBA team covets. So far, Finney-Smith is averaging 10.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists this year and is shooting a career-high 44% from deep.
DFS might not reach the offensive heights Russell can achieve, but he is a much better defender and still offers outside shooting and floor spacing.
Prior to this move, reports indicated the Lakers desired more depth and this trade seems to have accomplished that. Russell was a constant in the rotation here in Los Angeles, but Lewis only played in seven games for the Lakers.
With L.A. acquiring DFS and Milton, they now have an additional player they can implement into the rotation since Lewis was barely a bench warmer.
Milton is averaging a modest 7.4 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, but those numbers are far better than Lewis has produced during his young career. In Milton’s penultimate game as a Net, he scored 20 points while shooting 4-6 from deep in a Brooklyn win against Milwaukee.
Now that the deal is official, the fun of figuring out how to maximize the new roster begins.
Before that happens, Pelinka deserves some credit for negotiating this deal well before the Feb. 6 deadline. This trade gives the Lakers two players they can use immediately, moves them further from the second tax apron and did not cost them any first-round picks.
The Lakers still have the flexibility to make another move. Currently, L.A. is the fifth seed in the Western Conference and one more quality big or elite perimeter player could bring the Lakers back to the top of the NBA.
For now, they’ve addressed some of their needs and made a move that has them trending in the right direction.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.
