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General Manager Rob Pelinka of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on against the Dallas Mavericks.
The Los Angeles Lakers are not done tinkering with their roster after their pair of signings in the NBA free agency.
According to ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel, the Lakers still have one move they are expected to make.
“They’re actively looking for a new defensive player on the perimeter/wing. I’d expect them to make a trade for one by the end of the month,” Siegel wrote on X.
So far, the Lakers have made two key moves.
After the 32-year-old Dorian Finney-Smith bolted for the Houston Rockets, the Lakers pivoted to unproven 23-year-old wing Jake LaRavia. They also took a flier on Deandre Ayton to fill their starting center role after the former No. 1 pick reached a buyout with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Dorian Finney-Smith’s Departure a Huge Blow
Getty Dorian Finney-Smith spurned the Los Angeles Lakers and signed with the Houston Rockets in free agency.
Finney-Smith left a massive void on the Lakers’ perimeter defense. He was one of the trusted players of Lakers coach JJ Redick.
Redick played the veteran 3-and-D wing for 28.8 minutes per game despite playing mostly off the bench. Though Finney-Smith’s numbers — 7.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 steals — did not pop out, Redick credited the 32-year-old forward for making the Lakers’ defense the best in the league during a two-month stretch after his arrival.
“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.”
Finney-Smith was also one of their most reliable 3-point shooters, hitting 39.8% from long distance. His built-in relationship with Luka Doncic was also valuable when the Lakers traded for his former Dallas Mavericks teammate in February.
The Lakers gave up three second-round picks, D’Angelo Russell and Maxwell Lewis for just a half-season rental of Finney-Smith.
Lakers High on Jake LaRavia
The Lakers made LaRavia their top priority once the NBA Free Agency began, according to Dan Woike of The Athletic.
“LaRavia is represented by Aaron Reilly and Reggie Berry, the same agency team that represents Reaves. Reaves made a surprise cameo at the end of a long LaRavia interview this summer, when it turned out that the car LaRavia was riding in was being driven by his future Lakers teammate
“According to league sources, LaRavia was the Lakers’ first call when free agency officially opened at 3 p.m. Pacific Time on Monday. In his conversation with Rob Pelinka and Lakers coach JJ Redick, LaRavia and his team were impressed with the ways Pelinka sold the strengths of the Lakers’ brand and Redick’s detailed vision for how he’d like to use the young wing,” Woike wrote on July 1.
Pelinka essentially confirmed this after LaRavia’s signing was made official on July 6.
“Jake is a high IQ two-way player with ideal skills for a JJ Redick basketball system,” Pelinka said in a statement. “He’s a disruptive defender who uses his size and physicality to create turnovers. Offensively, he can score at all three levels and has a knack for creating space for himself and his teammates. Being just 23 years old, we think Jake has significant basketball upside, which will be honed nicely in our Lakers basketball development program.”
Alder Almo is a basketball journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com. He has more than 15 years of experience in local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Alder is from the Philippines and is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo
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