Lakers' Dorian Finney-Smith Could Be Target for East Contender This Summer

Early in the season, the Los Angeles Lakers decided to ship D'Angelo Russell to Brooklyn in exchange for Dorian Finney-Smith. Russell's second stint in Los Angeles had run its course.

It was clear that JJ Redick wanted more defense on his team, and that's exactly what Finney-Smith gives the team. He quickly became the best perimeter defender that they had.

Unfortunately for the Lakers, they didn't have enough good defensive players in the starting lineup. That's the biggest reason why they were bounced in the first round of the playoffs.

Finney-Smith was able to come off the bench and become one of the best bench defenders in the league. Now, he could be a target for some other teams in the NBA.

Because of Finney-Smith's unique 3-and-D skills, he could be seen as a target for one specific Eastern Conference team. Bleacher Report believes that the Cleveland Cavaliers could try to make a move for him.

It's unclear what the Lakers would get in return for a player of his caliber, but they likely aren't looking to move on from their best perimeter defensive player.

Finney-Smith does have a player option for next season worth over $15 million, so that could lead the Lakers to want to trade him. Shedding that salary could leave more room for them to get a better starting center.

The Lakers need a starting center who can protect the rim more than they need a forward who comes off the bench to play defense.

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Los Angeles is looking to do everything they can to win a title while LeBron James is still in the league. They likely only have a couple of more seasons to accomplish that goal.

Moving Finney-Smith into the starting lineup would only help the Lakers a little bit. They still need someone in the frontcourt who can protect the rim and catch lobs.

After being traded to the Lakers, Finney-Smith averaged 7.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. He shot 44.2 percent from the field and 39.8 percent from beyond the three-point arc.

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