Dorian Finney-Smith joins Houston for $53 million over 4 years

Dorian Finney-Smith has found his new destination. The 32-year-old American forward has signed a four-year, $53 million contract with the Houston Rockets, according to ESPN. This signing comes after the player declined his $15.4 million player option with the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2025-2026 season.

Free agent forward Dorian Finney-Smith has agreed to a four-year, $53 million deal with the Houston Rockets, sources tell ESPN. Finney-Smith’s agent, Michael Tellem of Excel Sports, negotiated terms of the deal tonight with Rockets executives for the 3-and-D wing. pic.twitter.com/wUNbGn0rOy

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2025

A 3-and-D profile highly sought after by Houston

Negotiations were conducted by Michael Tellem of Excel Sports, Finney-Smith’s agent, with Rockets executives. This major acquisition for Houston aims to strengthen their wing depth, with a veteran who shot a career-high 41% from 3-point range last season.

Finney-Smith’s defensive statistics are equally impressive. He limited All-Star players to 47% effective field goal percentage in half-court situations, a ratio that ranks him in the top 10 defenders who contested at least 125 shots last season. This versatile profile could allow Finney-Smith to replace Dillon Brooks in Houston’s rotation, following the latter’s departure in the blockbuster trade for Kevin Durant.

From Brooklyn to Lakers, then heading to Houston

Finney-Smith joined the Lakers in December through a trade with Brooklyn, where Los Angeles sent D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis, and three second-round picks for him and Shake Milton. With the Nets early in the season, the forward had one of the best stretches of his career, averaging 10.4 points and 4.6 rebounds in 20 games as a starter.

His role diminished in Los Angeles where he mainly came off the bench, but he still maintained an average of 7.9 points in nearly 30 minutes per game. After undergoing ankle surgery to address an issue that had affected him for several seasons, Finney-Smith appears ready to bounce back with Houston.

The Rockets, who already seemed positioned for a promising playoff run, further strengthen their roster with this signing. Finney-Smith will join an exciting team mixing young talent and veteran leadership with Kevin Durant, as Houston had clearly expressed interest in adding another wing to their roster.