Why Lakers Trade For Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton is Better Than Originally Thought

The Los Angeles Lakers are in a much better position than they were before this trade.

Dec 31, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Dorian Finney-Smith (17) defends against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Caris LeVert (3) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers made their first big move of the season when they traded for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton. In that trade, the Lakers sent D'Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis, and three second-round picks to Brooklyn in exchange for Finney-Smith and Milton.

It was a trade that the Lakers made to improve the defense of the team. That was the primary reason why they decided to make this move. When they won the NBA title in 2020, they had the best defense in the league. That's what they are moving towards with a move like this.

Aside from the personnel changes, this trade also helps them strongly with their finances. A trade like this helps them get further below the second apron and it allows them some space to make further moves if they deem that necessary. They don't just create financial flexibility this year, either.

Finney-Smith and Milton are not very expensive pieces moving forward. Finney-Smith has a $14.5 million player option for next season. Milton is owed just $3 million next year and $3.3 million in the 2026-27 season. That leaves the Lakers with cap flexibility for future free-agent moves.

The Lakers are a team that always tries to make big moves in the offseason in terms of signing free agents. They will likely try to add a star player in the offseason, and this trade will help them do that by staying under the second apron. Some other financial moves will need to be made as well.

For this season, they save about $15 million total. They are now $3.5 million under the second apron threshold. That gives them some wiggle room when it comes to making more moves closer to the trade deadline. This is a roster that still needs some improvement in order to win a title.

In their first game with the Lakers, Finney-Smith and Milton didn't give L.A. a lot of offensive production. Against the Cavaliers on Tuesday night, they scored just eight combined points off the bench. They lost the game 122-110. They are going to need more than that in order to make this trade work.

Still, it's very early. The Lakers feel very good about what this trade allows them to do the rest of the season defensively. They still have a lot of of games this season to figure out how those pieces will fit in.

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