Weeks before the Los Angeles Lakers made their earth-shattering trade for Luka Doncic, they made another deal that went somewhat under the radar. In late December, they sent guard D’Angelo Russell, forward Maxwell Lewis and three second-round draft picks to the Brooklyn Nets for Dorian Finney-Smith.
Finney-Smith is the type of 3-and-D wing the Lakers have lacked for some time. The 6-foot-7 forward instantly made a positive impact on the team, and he helped it start to surge in January and finish third in the Western Conference with a 50-32 record.
Now, his future with the team is in doubt. He turned down the player option on his contract for the 2025-26 season, which means he’s about to officially become a free agent.
Los Angeles Lakers forward Dorian Finney-Smith is declining his $15.4 million player option for the 2025-26 season and will enter free agency, sources tell ESPN. Multiple contending teams are expected to pursue Finney-Smith beginning Monday night and a Lakers return is possible. pic.twitter.com/BlYf5Fzplj
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 29, 2025
Finney-Smith averaged 7.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 0.9 steals while shooting 39.8% from 3-point range during the regular season with the Lakers. When he was on the court, the Lakers had a defensive rating of 109.1 and a net rating of 11.1.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Dorian Finney-Smith turns down player option for 2025-26 NBA season