Dorian

Finney-Smith

Finney-Smith underwent ankle surgery in early June, and during media day in late September, Udoka said the veteran forward would likely miss the start of the regular season. Based on Tuesday’s update, it’s unknown when Finney-Smith will be deemed healthy enough to play. Consider him out indefinitely, and there’s no need to stash DFS in an IL+ slot.

Finney-Smith, who agreed to a four-year deal worth $53 million in July, underwent surgery on his ankle in early June. When asked about the veteran forward’s status for the upcoming season, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka said DFS probably would not be available when the team opens the regular season on October 21. Finney-Smith has only partially participated in early practices, limited to non-contact activity. On Monday, he said that he’s been running and should be back “soon.” However, there’s no timeline on a return to action for Finney-Smith, who was believed to be in contention for a place in the starting lineup. With Fred VanVleet (knee) possibly out for the entire season, Houston has two starting spots to fill during training camp.

The Rockets, who finished the 2024-25 regular season with the second-best record in the Western Conference, have four starters locked into their spots ahead of training camp. Fred VanVleet, Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant and Alperen Şengün will start, but who joins them? While the assumption of many has been that Jabari Smith Jr. will regain that role, Udoka has not made a decision. “It’s to be determined. I do think Jabari showed tremendous growth this offseason, and obviously he started the majority of his time here, before the injury,” Udoka told Rockets Wire’s Ben DuBose. “But we’ll take a look at everything. We feel we have incredible depth this year and a lot of versatility, so we could go a number of different ways, as far as that. I think some of that will be proven in training camp.” As a starter last season, Smith averaged 11.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, but he offered higher averages (13.2 points, 7.7 rebounds) coming off the bench. And the Rockets have options to fill the fifth starting spot. Dorian Finney-Smith and Tari Eason are two other possibilities, and Houston had some success during the first round of the playoffs when playing Steven Adams alongside Şengün.

Just a day after declining his player option with the Lakers, Finney-Smith has agreed to a deal with the Rockets. Houston is making a major move to improve its wing depth with DFS, who can make threes and play adequate defense. The 32-year-old small forward shot a career-high 41 percent from behind the three-point line last year. Finney-Smith is cashing in with a long-term deal at slightly less per year than his player option with the Lakers.

If activated, Finney-Smith’s option would have paid him $15.4 million next season. Instead, he’ll hit the open market and should not lack suitors among teams with serious postseason ambitions. According to Charania, a return to the Lakers is not off the table for Finney-Smith despite Sunday’s development. DFS appeared in 63 games for the Nets and Lakers last season, with the latter acquiring him from the former in late December. Finney-Smith underwent ankle surgery in mid-June, but he is expected to be available for the start of training camp.

Finney-Smith dealt with a lingering ankle issue that he mostly played through down the stretch of the season. The 32-year-old small forward is expected to be able to participate in training camp after successful surgery. Finney-Smith holds a player option to return to the Lakers for $15,378,480. It’s possible that he declines the option and becomes a free agent.

Finney-Smith is among the many Lakers’ rotation players who will sit out Sunday’s regular-season finale, which has no impact on the team’s playoff seeding. Markieff Morris, who is not in the regular rotation, could play legitimate minutes in Portland. However, he should not be added to rosters in active fantasy leagues.

Friday’s victory secured the three-seed in the West for the Lakers, which would mean a second-round matchup with Houston if both teams got out of the first round. For that reason, Finney-Smith’s last two performances against the Rockets were notable. After shooting 6-of-11 from three in the Lakers’ March 31 win over Houston, he was 6-of-8 on Friday. From a fantasy standpoint, Finney-Smith provided the three-pointers and steals on Friday that many managers expect from him. We’ll see if he plays against Portland on Sunday, as nothing will be on the line for the Lakers.

Hachimura missed one game against Oklahoma City but is set to make his return against Dallas. Dorian Finney-Smith will likely move back to the bench with Hachimura healthy again.

No surprises here as both Reaves and Finney-Smith were upgraded to probable Tuesday afternoon. Reaves had 20 points in the win over the Thunder on Sunday. Finney-Smith figures to move into the starting lineup Tuesday with Rui Hachimura (knee) already ruled out.