Dallas Basketball

NBA Trade Rumors: Heat Interested in Mavs’ Dorian Finney-Smith; What Deals Work?

If Dorian Finney-Smith is a trade target for the Miami Heat, is there a favorable deal available for the Dallas Mavericks?

Michael Mulford

In this story:

The Dallas Mavericks (27-25) currently sit as the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference with the trade deadline just one week away. 

As rumors swirl around the Mavs, one fan favorite has found himself involved in several trade speculation. 

Rumored on Five On The Floor, a Miami Heat podcast, the Heat are “registering interest” in Mavericks forward Dorian Finney-Smith. 

Finney-Smith has been a popular name of late as he was recently linked to the Utah Jazz, who reportedly have 'strong interest' in the Mavericks forward, per The Athletic. 

Shams Charania of The Athletic added that teams around the league “have gotten the impression” that the Mavs would be willing to move Finney-Smith “in the right deal for a star-caliber player.”

For sun, let's play ball here: what would trading Finney-Smith to Miami look like?

If it's for Duncan Robinson's albatross contract, that's an automatic no deal. Robinson has one of the worst contracts in the league, whereas Finney-Smith has one of the most team-friendly contracts.

What about a trade package of Kyle Lowry and Nikola Jovic for DFS and another filler contract like Tim Hardaway Jr. or Christian Wood, though? Lowry has definitely lost a step, or two, but could help bolster Dallas' backcourt and playmaking depth. He'll also be operating on an expiring deal next season.

We know the Mavs covet a second star to pair next to Luka Doncic, so could they cobble up enough assets to convince Miami to let go of Bam Adebayo or Jimmy Butler? That’s getting more into the “pipe-dream” category, but that’s likely the kind of situation Dallas is searching for.

Point blank, Finney-Smith is the epitome of what “Heat Culture” is made of and would fit perfectly with Miami, but that comes with a hefty price to pry him away from Dallas. Finney-Smith is the type of player, who's on the type of team-friendly contract, that any team in the league would love to acquire.

It seems highly unlikely that Dallas would trade a team and fan favorite in Finney-Smith, especially if it’s not in a deal that nets them a co-star for Doncic. But, if there's a deal out there that makes the team better now and in the future, that's something GM Nico Harrison and company need to seriously consider. 

Again, no one on the Mavs’ roster but No. 77 should untouchable. 

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Dallas Mavericks? Click Here.

Follow DallasBasketball.com on Twitter and Facebook.

Published
Michael Mulford
MICHAEL MULFORD

Michael Mulford is a writer/editor for Dallas Basketball, where he extensively covers the Dallas Mavericks. He also covers the Chicago Bulls as the Managing Editor for Bulls Wire of USA Today Sports Media Group. Mulford grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and graduated from the University of North Texas in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in Recreation, Event, and Sports Management. He began his pursuit of sports writing in 2017 with Dallas Sports Fanatic, where he covered the Mavericks’ G League affiliate, Texas Legends. He then became the Managing Editor of Dallas Sports Fanatic just one year later and has covered the Mavericks as a credentialed media member since 2018, including covering numerous playoff games between 2021-22 and covering the team at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas in 2019. In his time covering the Mavericks, Mulford has conducted numerous interviews for exclusive stories including with Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki, former Maverick and current VP of Basketball Ops Michael Finley, former Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson, and more. You can follow and interact with Mulford on Twitter at @TheMulf.

Home/News