LA Lakers identify former Warriors star as replacement for Dorian Finney-Smith, with Rockets closing in

Finney-Smith could sign with the Houston Rockets

Dorian Finney-Smith is being tipped to sign with the Houston Rockets , who are eyeing a replacement for Dillon Brooks.

Marc Stein reports: “Houston is believed to be readying a four-year offer to Dorian Finney-Smith, sources say.”

He adds that, “the Lakers know it will be difficult to retain DFS,” but have not given up on a deal.

The Rockets are in a strong position to contend next season after recently making a trade to acquire Kevin Durant.

LA Lakers eye De’Anthony Melton

The LA Lakers are making contingency plans, eyeing a player who briefly shared a roster with Dorian Finney-Smith on the Brooklyn Nets last season.

The Stein Line reports the Lakers are preparing to acquire De’Anthony Melton in free agency.

Melton played a key role in the Golden State Warriors‘ fast start to the 2024-25 season, before he suffered a torn ACL in November. He is on track to make a full recovery for the start of 2025-26.

The Warriors traded an injured Melton to the Nets in mid-December to acquire Dennis Schroder, who they later flipped to the Pistons as part of the multi-team Jimmy Butler trade.

Finney-Smith was traded to the Lakers in late December and was a teammate of Melton for a fortnight, but the latter’s injury meant they did not share the court together.