At the beginning of this week, Dallas Mavericks fans who wanted the team to trade for Dorian Finney-Smith ahead of the trade deadline had their hearts broken.

The Los Angeles Lakers acquired the former Mavericks fan-favorite wing along with Shake Milton in exchange for D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis, and three second-round picks, and Dallas’ shot at landing Finney-Smith for the second half of the season was vanquished.

The Mavericks are looking to add frontcourt depth, specifically a defensive stopper, and Finney-Smith would have fit that mold perfectly.

Dallas showed a level of interest in trading for Finney-Smith before Brooklyn traded him to Los Angeles, but the Mavs could have another great shot at landing him if the latest rumors remain true.

Mavericks will have a shot at reuniting with Finney-Smith in free agency

According to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, Finney-Smith is expected to decline his $15.38 player option this offseason with the Lakers and become an unrestricted free agent.

This means that Dallas will have a shot at pursuing the beloved wing in free agency, and this could end up being their best shot yet at reuniting with him considering he has been under contract ever since Dallas sent him to Brooklyn as part of the Kyrie Irving trade.

The love between Finney-Smith and the Mavericks organization remains mutual, as he went from going undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft to becoming an every-night starter for Dallas, and he and Luka Doncic built a strong bond during the four and a half seasons they played together.

Doncic has made it clear in the past that he’d like to play with Finney-Smith again, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to anyone if the Mavs show interest in him once free agency hits after the season ends.

Finney-Smith entering unrestricted free agency after the season ends gives Dallas the perfect chance to poach him from the Lakers (if they end up wanting to bring him back after the season), and this is the type of marginal move that the Mavs could end up needing to make to remain one of the top teams in the Western Conference.

This season, Finney-Smith is averaging 9.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 0.9 steals per game while shooting a career-high 42.1 percent from downtown, and he’ll undoubtedly be one of the top available 3-and-D wings in free agency this summer.

His defense, grit, and knockdown catch-and-shoot ability made him a staple in Dallas for the first seven and a half seasons of his career, and Mavs fans could see him return once again if the team’s interest in bringing him back grows.

Dallas showed interest in trading for Finney-Smith in each of the last two seasons, and him being available in free agency presents both sides with an entirely different ballgame.

This summer will be pivotal for the Mavs considering that Kyrie Irving could opt out of his contract and become a free agent along with the fact that Doncic is eligible to sign an extension and Nico Harrison and company are going to have their hands full.

Harrison finding a way to sign Dallas’ two superstars to new deals while finding a way to sign Finney-Smith would be a dream come true for Mavs fans, and time will tell if they can turn this dream into a reality.