The Los Angeles Lakers don’t have the assets to make a significant deal, but today’s trade for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton will strengthen the Lakers’ roster.
Los Angeles is sending Brooklyn D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis, and three second-round picks.
The trade helps both teams.
The Western Conference is as tough as ever, and even though the Lakers (18-13) are in fifth place, Los Angeles knows it isn’t sustainable.
The Nets (12-19) have sometimes played well, but that’s not the goal. Brooklyn wants to be bad, and they came into the season with a bevy of valuable parts that can be traded for future assets.
Finney-Smith will give the Lakers a physical wing defender that they sorely need. Though he has a career-high 2.7 fouls per game, he isn’t a foul-prone defender. Putting him on the second unit with Max Christie would strengthen the Lakers’ defense when LeBron James and/or Anthony Davis are off the floor.
On the offensive side of the ball, Finney-Smith is a capable catch-and-shoot three-point shooter. Finney-Smith is shooting a career-high 43.5% from three on a career-tying 5.4 attempts per game.
It will be interesting to see how Shake Milton fits in. Milton can be an electric bench scorer who, like Finney-Smith, can knock down threes.
The question is, how will head coach JJ Redick split minutes between Milton and Gabe Vincent?
If Redick figures out, the Lakers will have enough defense and floor spacers to compete for a spot that would have them avoid the Play-In Tournament.
