Debut Game for New Lakers Dorian Finney-Smith, Shake Milton Revealed

When will Los Angeles' newest players suit up?

Mar 31, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith (28) looks to the basket against Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) during the first quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

So when will the Los Angeles Lakers' latest additions, former Brooklyn Nets Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton, suit up for their new team?

Sources inform Shams Charania of ESPN that the 3-and-D small forward and the microwave bench scorer shooting guard are slated to make their L.A. debuts on Tuesday night, against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Earlier this week, Lakers head coach JJ Redick indicated that he hoped both vets could suit up on Tuesday. Now, that appears to be on track to happen.

Read More: Los Angeles Reveals When Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton Could Make Debuts

This past weekend, the Lakers flipped veteran reserve point guard D'Angelo Russell, little-used second-year forward Maxwell Lewis, and three future second round draft picks (in 2027, 2030 and 2031) to the Nets in exchange for Finney-Smith and Milton. It marks the second time Los Angeles has traded Russell to Brooklyn. Hopefully there will not be a third.

Read More: Lakers Trade D'Angelo Russell to Nets in Massive Deal

Finney-Smith is by far the best player in the deal. The veteran swingman immediately gives Los Angeles its best wing defender since the team offloaded former champion Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in its ill-fated 2021 Russell Westbrook trade. Finney-Smith is also in the midst of one of his best shooting years ever, connecting on 45.9 percent of his looks from the field and a whopping 43.5 percent of his 5.4 triple tries per bout.

Through 20 healthy games this year, the 6-foot-7 wing out of Florida is logging averages of 10.4 points and 4.6 boards per bout. He has a $15.4 million player option for the 2025-26 season. If his inclusion helps elevate the Lakers into fringe contention in the West, one wonders if he'll pick up the option in order to remain on a competitive team. He hasn't been on a competitive roster since the Dallas Mavericks flipped him to Brooklyn as part of the Kyrie Irving deal in 2022-23.

Read More: Dorian Finney-Smith, Shake Milton Touch Down in Los Angeles Following Massive Trade

The 6-foot-5 Milton could replace some of Russell's scoring off the bench. In 27 bouts for the Nets this year, he logged averages of 7.4 points on .465/.389/.758 shooting splits, 2.4 assists, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.6 steals a night.

Cleveland, 40-year-old All-NBA Lakers power forward LeBron James' previous team before joining Los Angeles, boasts the best record in the league as of this writing, at 28-4. The Cavaliers' four stars — All-Star point guard Darius Garland, All-NBA shooting guard Donovan Mitchell, All-Defensive Team power forward Evan Mobley, and All-Star center Jarrett Allen — are meshing better than ever. It will be a worthwhile test for the improved 18-13 Lakers.

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