The Houston Rockets have their eyes on a veteran 3-and-D wing to replace Dillon Brooks.
According to NBA insiders Jake Fischer and Marc Stein, the Rockets could pry Dorian Finney-Smith away from the Los Angeles Lakers to bolster their defense and add more shooting.
Finney-Smith declined his $15.4 million player option to enter unrestricted free agency.
“The Houston Rockets have emerged as a viable free agent landing spot for Dorian Finney-Smith, league sources tell @TheSteinLine and me, after the veteran declined his $15.4 million player option for 2025-26 with the Lakers today,” Fischer wrote on X.
The Rockets have their full $14.1 million non-taxpayer midlevel exception to offer Finney-Smith and still remain below the first apron after they restructured Fred VanVleet’s contract that saved them $20 million.
VanVleet signed a two-year, $50 million contract after the Rockets declined his $44.9 million option. That clever maneuvering gives the Rockets ample wiggle room to add more to their roster, which has been boosted by the trade acquisition of Kevin Durant.
Perfect Replacement for Dillon Brooks
Getty Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder drives to the basket around Dorian Finney-Smith of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Adding Finney-Smith would solidify their standing as a bona fide title contender next season.
The 32-year-old forward averaged 28.1 minutes per game for the Lakers, anchoring their defensive turnaround that pushed them into the No. 3 seed in the stacked Western Conference. He averaged 7.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 steals while shooting 39.8% from the 3-point line.
Finney-Smith could defend forwards and centers.
Lakers coach JJ Redick credited Finney-Smith for their defensive turnaround that propelled them to the No. 3 seed in the second half last season.
“He’s brought a level of toughness,” Redick said, per ClutchPoints’ Erik Slater at the time. “Certainly, communication and the spirit to want to defend. I think guys have responded well to who he is as a player, a teammate, a person. He’s just fit right in. Our season kind of turned around, and the energy and spirit of our group turned around when we got him. He’s been huge for us.”
However, the Rockets will be met with strong resistance from the Lakers, who have registered a strong interest in re-signing Finney-Smith, Stein and Fischer previously reported.
Finney-Smith will go to the highest bidder.
In a March interview with Hoopshype, Finney-Smith hinted that he is not going to take a paycut.
“You see what just happened with Luka (Dončić)? Finney-Smith said at the time. “So, you’ve got to make sure you take care of yourself first,” Finney-Smith quickly added. “We need to finish the season strong. If we win, everybody eats (smiles).”
This offseason presents Finney-Smith’s last chance for a big payday. The Rockets can offer him that and a shot at winning a ring.
Rockets Offseason Activities
The Rockets also intend to bring back veterans Jae’Sean Tate, Aaron Holiday, and Jeff Green, ESPN’s senior NBA insider Shams Charania previously reported.
They also intend to re-sign Aaron Holiday to a fresh one-year deal after declining his $4.9 million team option, according to Hoopshype’s Michael Scotto.
Holiday, who was a favorite of Rockets coach Ime Udoka, according to Scotto, averaged 5.5 points and 1.3 assists in the regular season while shooting 39.8% from the 3-point line. He posted 4.0 points on 40% 3-point shooting in their first-round loss to the Golden State Warriors in the playoffs.
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