The Los Angeles Lakers have the most important offseason in recent memory ahead of them. The need for retaining Dorian Finney-Smith will be a vital component of this summer that should not be lost on anyone.
The Luka Doncic extension will be the main focus for most people following the Lakers. What happens with LeBron James and whether the NBA legend remains in Los Angeles is second in the pecking order. Signing Finney-Smith to a new deal rivals the offseason priority of bringing in a new center as the third most important docket on the agenda.
The Lakers' 2024-25 campaign really hit its stride after the arrival of the two-way forward from the Brooklyn Nets. A package built around D'Angelo Russell and second-round draft capital landing Finney-Smith in Hollywood was a big turning point.
The Lakers will be desperate to bring Finney-Smith back in free agency. The 3-and-d specialist will go into negotiations with the team holding the upper hand by a mile.
Finney-Smith set to get paid
Not only does Finney-Smith belong to an in-demand player archetype across the NBA, but the versatile defender also fits around Doncic and James like a glove. Considering the Lakers' lack of perimeter stoppers, the organization is not in a position to let someone like him walk for nothing after giving up the assets they did to acquire him via trade.
This is all before mentioning his close relationship with Doncic too. Zach Lowe spoke up on his podcast that Finney-Smith should have a lot of leverage.
"If I were his agent, I would go to the Lakers and be like, 'Hey, I want to opt out and I want a new deal," Lowe told listeners. "I want the new deal to look like this, because if you lose me, it's going to be hard to replace me, and my skill set.' ... I would squeeze the Lakers for everything they're worth."
No one knows exactly how Finney-Smith is going to approach free agency. Lowe is only estimating what he would do in the scenario. However, it is worth noting that the Lakers wing has hinted at not taking a hometown discount in the past.
Finney-Smith would be due for around $15.4 million in 2025-26 if he were to pick up his player option. Any decision to decline that pay day would be done in the hopes of a larger and lengthier one.