Rockets' Dorian Finney-Smith Cited as One of Best Free Agent Signings

Over time, the NBA's free agency period has become rather uneventful, and especially this time around. The league's marquee players have instead decided to sign extensions and ask for trades later on down the line.

Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant, who was the biggest domino to fall this offseason, was exhibit A of this. Durant landed an extension with the Brooklyn Nets and was later traded to the Phoenix Suns, who recently traded him to Houston for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and draft capital. 

The Rockets were also active in free agency, signing center Clint Capela and swing man Dorian Finney-Smith. The latter had a rather robust market, with multiple contending teams reportedly vying for the 3-and-D forward.

Houston signing Finney-Smith has been listed as one of the best offseason moves in the entire Association by Sports Illustrated's Liam McKeone.

"Finney-Smith fits into the roster like a glove. The Lakers were much better on both ends during his minutes on the floor after acquiring him at the trade deadline. According to PBPStats, Los Angeles posted a 122.78 offensive rating and 111.82 defensive rating in Finney-Smith’s 1,242 minutes played, good for a positive net rating of 10.96. When he was off the court? His team recorded an offensive rating of 113.38 and a defensive rating of 116.32—a negative net rating of 2.94.

He averaged 6.4 shots per game for the Lakers; 4.6 of those were catch-and-shoot opportunities from three. On those field goal attempts, Finney-Smith shot 40.2%.

All that plus his experience and veteran locker room presence make Finney-Smith an excellent addition for the Rockets. "

DFS figures to align well with Rockets coach Ime Udoka, who demands maximum effort on the defensive end, and he's been a part of a deep postseason run, as his former Dallas Mavericks reached the Western Conference Finals in 2022 (and we know how much Udoka values proven vets).

Finney-Smith's contract - 4 years $53 million with only the first two years guaranteed- is easily one of the better bargain deals of the summer. And if he flashes what he displayed in Dallas and Los Angeles, he could be one of the league's better offseason pick-ups.