The Los Angeles Lakers traded for Dorian Finney-Smith last offseason with the hopes that he could stick around for at least a couple of seasons.

However, he declined his player option this offseason and decided to sign with the Houston Rockets in free agency.

The Rockets have been very active this offseason and are still working out the kinks on the trade that will land them Kevin Durant. There’s been talk of it being a seven-team deal, and the Lakers would be involved as a way to get something for Finney-Smith.

However, according to The Athletic’s Fred Katz, Los Angeles might not actually get in on the deal.

“I’ve seen lots of outside speculation about the possibility of the Lakers receiving something for Dorian Finney-Smith in a hypothetical sign-and-trade,” Katz wrote. “Unfortunately for LA, there doesn’t seem to be any traction on that — and I don’t anticipate this reality changing.”

The reason why the Lakers are having a hard time getting a piece of the action is that the Rockets can sign Finney-Smith straight up without having to do a sign-and-trade.

“Because (Clint) Capela will come to Houston in a sign-and-trade and thus isn’t going into the midlevel exception, the Rockets can use the MLE to sign Finney-Smith straight up,” Katz added. “And why would they choose to send a player or draft pick to the Lakers when they don’t have to?

“As of now, Finney-Smith is not a part of this seven-team deal. The only players who were in the NBA last season who are part of it today are Capela, Durant, Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green, Daeqwon Plowden and David Roddy, league sources say.”

Why Is Finney-Smith Leaving Lakers?

Finney-Smith was a perfect fit with the Lakers. He was the kind of 3-and-D wing the team had been trying to find for years. He’s also close friends with star guard Luka Doncic.

However, it doesn’t sound like contract negotiations went well. According to Zach Lowe of The Ringer, the two sides didn’t end in a good place.

“On Saturday, I said keep an eye on the Finney-Smith situation,” Lowe said on “The Zach Lowe Show.” “That’s gonna be the tell for me for how the Lakers are thinking about things cause I heard negotiations were going badly. And I said, will he even opt out? Do the Lakers even want to even pay him? The answer to that turned out to be no, they didn’t want to pay him, and he opted out, and I don’t think they ended on very good terms either.”

Is Rob Pelinka’s Seat Getting Warmer?

Lakers general manager and president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka has been a made man due to his close relationship with team governor Jeanie Buss. However, the Buss family recently agreed to sell the majority ownership of the franchise to Mark Walter.

This is Pelinka’s first offseason with the news that he’s going to have to answer to somebody else, and he hasn’t done much. So far, LeBron James has suggested he doesn’t want to stay with the Lakers for more than another season, there are rumors of Finney-Smith being unhappy with his treatment from Pelinka and the team hasn’t made any big moves of note.

Pelinka isn’t going to be fired this offseason, but if the Lakers play poorly in 2025-26, Walter has proven that he’s quick to make bold moves, especially in the front office.