Dorian Finney-Smith Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: McBride, Nets, Simmons, Embiid, Melton

January 15th, 2024 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Miles McBride‘s role has been expanding since the Knicks traded Immanuel Quickley to Toronto, so he was ready when he made his first start of the season on Saturday night, writes Steve Popper of Newsday. With Jalen Brunson sidelined by a calf injury, McBride responded by scoring a career-high 19 points in a win at Memphis.

“I mean, you prepare,” McBride said. “In the summer doing a lot of long workouts, a lot of running, just knowing at some point it’s a long season and your name is going to be called. So you’ve got to do whatever you can do to be prepared as much as you can.”

McBride hasn’t been able to earn consistent playing time since New York drafted him in 2021, but he was on the court for 38 minutes in Saturday’s game, including the entire second half. He received a three-year, $13MM extension on the day the trade was announced and appears to be secure as part of the Knicks’ future.

“He just plays hard,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “He’s an elite defender. That’s been his strength. That’s been his calling card. He’s proven to be a really good shooter as well. He has a lot of confidence, really works hard on his game. So this is a great opportunity for him. Every time he’s been called upon, he’s been ready and he’s performed well.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

The Nets, who opted for small-ball when Nic Claxton was hurt earlier this season, have been forced to go back to that approach due to a knee injury to backup center Day’Ron Sharpe, notes Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. Whenever Claxton rests, coach Jacque Vaughn replaces him with 6’7″ forward Dorian Finney-Smith. “Harry [Giles] is gonna have to step up, and guys are just gonna have to alter their roles a little bit,” Cameron Johnson said. “The one thing I think would change is you’re gonna see more small-ball. Obviously, [Claxton] has been doing a great job all year holding the paint down, but it’s hard to ask him to play 48 [minutes]. We’ll see how it goes. [Finney-Smith] is one of the best in the league at playing that small-ball 5. When we have it, that’s definitely on the table for us.”
The Nets haven’t decided if Ben Simmons will join them for their upcoming West Coast trip, Schwartz adds. Simmons has been sidelined since November 6 with a nerve impingement in his back, but he’s reportedly “in the home stretch” of his recovery process.
Joel Embiid will return to the Sixers‘ lineup this afternoon against Houston after missing the past three games with inflammation in his left knee, tweets Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer examines how Embiid’s injury history might affect his legacy.
Sixers coach Nick Nurse expects De’Anthony Melton to be sidelined at least a week as he deals with a lumbar injury, per Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).

Stein’s Latest: Hield, Wiggins, Finney-Smith, O’Neale, Fultz, McDermott, Osman

January 14th, 2024 at 5:26pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons and Wizards pulled off a trade involving four players and two draft picks on Sunday. Expect a lot more activity in the coming weeks, according to Marc Stein in his latest Substack post.

Stein offers a number of interesting tidbits from around the league:

Buddy Hield‘s name was prominently mentioned around the trade market after the veteran guard and the Pacers failed to reach an extension agreement during training camp. Sources tell Stein that Indiana continues to look for ways to move Hield. The Pacers are trying to package his expiring $18.6MM contract and a future first-rounder to get an impact player. Raptors forward Pascal Siakam continues to be talked about as a potential Pacers target. However, Indiana would be reluctant to give up second-year guard Bennedict Mathurin or rookie Jarace Walker in any trade.
Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins is looked upon as another potential Pacers target but it may be difficult for Golden State to create a market for him, Stein writes. Wiggins not only has three more years left on his contract, his production has nosedived.
Dorian Finney-Smith and Royce O’Neale could be on the move. The Nets are listening to offers for both of those forwards and Stein suggests the Cavaliers should pursue O’Neale, considering they need a wing and he’s close friends with Donovan Mitchell. O’Neale has an expiring contract, while Finney-Smith is signed through 2025/26.
Speaking of expiring contracts, the Magic are “exploring the trade market” the top pick of the 2017 draft. They’ve made guard Markelle Fultz and his $17MM expiring deal available, along with center Wendell Carter Jr, per Stein.
Another team dangling expiring contracts is the Spurs. Forwards Doug McDermott and Cedi Osman are available for teams looking to clear cap room this summer or upgrade their second unit, according to Stein.

Trade Rumors: Cavaliers, Nets, LaVine, Siakam, More

January 11th, 2024 at 4:25pm CST by Rory Maher

Appearing on his Wine and Gold Talk podcast alongside co-host Ethan Sands, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com examined fake trade proposals from listeners, with one centered on the Cavaliers acquiring Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith. Fedor thinks that scenario is plausible, as NetsDaily.com relays.

“Dorian Finney-Smith is somebody that I do believe that the Cavs have interest in,” Fedor said. “He is somebody who can play the three and the four, he can shoot well enough from the outside spacing the floor.”

As Fedor explains, the Cavs haven’t shown any interest in discussing any of their core four players (Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen), but if the Nets make Finney-Smith available, he’d be the type of player Cleveland would covet and possibly have a chance to acquire, since his price tag probably wouldn’t be “exorbitant.” There have been reports in the past saying the Nets wanted two first-round picks for Finney-Smith, but that could mean a lot of things.

Cleveland tried to trade for fellow Nets forward Royce O’Neale last season, Fedor added, but obviously Brooklyn wasn’t interested.

As for what might be sent Brooklyn’s way, a source tells Fedor that “the Nets have shown interest in Dean Wade in the past.” Fedor also strongly suggested the Cavs wouldn’t be opposed to moving Wade, which is logical — if none of the core players are sent out, Wade is one of the only two-for-one salary-matching pieces (he makes $5.7MM) that makes sense, though the Cavs would have to add more salary to acquire Finney-Smith ($13.9MM).

Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:

The Cavaliers were interested in a sign-and-trade for P.J. Washington in the offseason, but the Hornets weren’t interested in what Cleveland had to offer and Fedor thinks that is likely still the case. However, Fedor expects Cleveland to check-in on Washington’s availability again prior to the trade deadline.
Elsewhere in the podcast, Fedor said the Cavaliers would consider moving former lottery pick Isaac Okoro in the right deal. Okoro will be a restricted free agent in the summer after he was unable to come to terms on a rookie scale extension with Cleveland. Wade and Okoro ($8.9MM), for example, could work as a framework for Finney-Smith or Washington, though it remains to be seen if Brooklyn or Charlotte would be intrigued by that.
Rival teams remain skeptical the Bulls will be able to move Zach LaVine this season, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, who says Chicago is focused on players who can help the team be competitive now instead of a rebuild. LaVine’s long-term contract (four years, $180MM) is a key obstacle in talks, Fischer adds.
“Several teams” are interested in Raptors forward Pascal Siakam, including the Kings, Pacers, Pistons and Mavericks, all of whom have been described as “active buyers,” Fischer reports. The Warriors have also had internal discussions about Siakam. However, Siakam’s camp believes he’ll be able to sign a long-term maximum-salary contract in free agency, and the two-time All-NBA forward doesn’t appear to have interest in a short-term extension if he’s traded, according to Fischer, who points out that Indiana, Detroit and the Sixers all project to have cap room in 2024 and could sign Siakam outright, perhaps lowering the odds that one of those teams will give up significant assets to acquire him ahead of the trade deadline. That’s why some rivals think Toronto might end up keeping Siakam and possibly extending him instead of losing him for nothing in free agency, Fischer explains.

Nets Notes: Claxton, Thomas, Slump, Finney-Smith

January 1st, 2024 at 10:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nets suffered a 16-point loss to Oklahoma City on Sunday and big man Nic Claxton admits frustration is setting in, Brian Lewis of the New York Post reports. Brooklyn has lost three straight and eight of its last 10, with the two victories coming against the East’s worst team, Detroit.

“We’re definitely frustrated. Nobody wants to lose. I hate losing, everybody hates losing,” Claxton said. “We just got to figure it out. We just can’t get used to losing. Need to figure out solutions and figure out ways to fix it.”

We have more on the Nets:

Cam Thomas‘ defensive shortcomings have cost him a spot in the starting lineup. Thomas was moved to the second unit and produced 20 points against the Thunder. The high-scoring guard is trying to take a positive approach. “At the end of the day, I want to start. But for what the team needs, I’ve got to come off the bench, whether it’s sixth or seventh man, come in and bring energy,” Thomas told Lewis. “So just not getting down, just staying positive and keep my energy high.”
Head coach Jacque Vaughn said that togetherness will help the team break out of its slump, Lewis tweets. “We need each other. I’m not a Hall of Fame coach and we have no All-Stars on our team,” he said. “And so this is a collective group that has to play together on every single night and we’ll continue to grasp that ideal. But that’s the challenge for this group.”
Dorian Finney-Smith (left knee soreness) is listed as probable to play on Tuesday at New Orleans but Lonnie Walker (left hamstring strain) remains out, Lewis tweets.
In case you missed it, the team is being investigated by the NBA for possible load management violations after several key players sat out against Milwaukee on Wednesday.

Atlantic Notes: Finney-Smith, Nets, Embiid, Celtics

December 29th, 2023 at 7:05pm CST by Rory Maher

The Nets made a change to their starting lineup on Friday night against Washington, with Dorian Finney-Smith replacing Cam Thomas, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Head coach Jacques Vaughn suggested earlier this week that Finney-Smith was likely to return to the starting five.

Thomas is Brooklyn’s leading scorer, averaging 22.8 points per game. However, he also takes 18.8 shots per game, and doesn’t provide much in terms of rebounding (2.8 RPG) or play-making for others (2.3 APG). He has improved defensively in his third season, but it’s still not a strong point.

As Lewis wrote earlier this week, it was seemingly inevitable that Vaughn would make the change, because the Nets have struggled mightily with Thomas starting and have thrived with Finney-Smith playing alongside the other four starters — Spencer Dinwiddie, Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson and Nic Claxton.

Finney-Smith can’t create his own shot like Thomas, but he’s bigger, a far superior defender, plays within the flow of the offense, and has been scorching hot from deep in 2023/24, averaging 44.8% from three on 5.5 attempts per night.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Joel Embiid — the reigning MVP and current Eastern Conference Player of the Week — will miss the Sixers’ back-to-back set on Friday and Saturday, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter links). Saturday will mark Embiid’s fourth straight absence. He’s been dealing with a right ankle sprain, which he sustained last Friday vs. Toronto. Nicolas Batum (right hamstring strain) is also out Friday, but he’ll be back tomorrow against Chicago, Pompey tweets.
The Celtics are shorthanded for Friday’s game against Toronto, with Al Horford (rest), Kristaps Porzingis (left calf — injury management) and Jayson Tatum (left ankle sprain — injury management) all out, relays Jared Weiss of The Athletic (via Twitter). It’s the second end of back-to-back for Boston, which defeated Detroit in overtime on Thursday.
Jay King of The Athletic considers what moves the Celtics might make ahead of the trade deadline, noting that Boston has a $6.2MM trade exception acquired in the Grant Williams sign-and-trade. Considering how well the team has performed to this point, King doesn’t think the Celtics will make a major deal, but suggests a smaller move around the edges could make sense if it doesn’t negatively impact the locker room.

Western Notes: Watson, Lakers, Nance, Rose

December 29th, 2023 at 10:44am CST by Luke Adams

Nuggets head coach Michael Malone made a late decision to start Peyton Watson in place of injured forward Aaron Gordon on Thursday and the second-year wing responded in a major way, scoring a career-high 20 points and making four three-pointers as Memphis gave him room on the perimeter, as Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post details.

“They didn’t guard him early but he stayed with it and he didn’t lose confidence,” Malone said. “That can mess with you, but I thought Peyton did a really good job. I think he knows we have faith and confidence in him, and let’s be honest, Peyton Watson knows he’s a huge part of our future.”

Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (Twitter link) referred to it as a “statement decision” by Malone to insert Watson into the starting five over Justin Holiday, who had started the previous four games that Gordon missed.

Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports (Twitter link) adds that the club had planned to approach that spot in the lineup on a game-by-game basis until Gordon gets healthy, but suggests Watson may have earned the role going forward with his performance on Thursday.

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

After linking Dorian Finney-Smith and Royce O’Neale to the Lakers in the offseason, Jovan Buha of The Athletic said this week in an episode of Hoops Tonight (YouTube link) that Los Angeles still has trade interest in the two Nets forwards. NetsDaily passes along Buha’s comments and explores whether a deal between the two teams is realistic.
Ankle, groin, and rib injuries sapped Larry Nance Jr. of much of his athleticism earlier in the season, but the Pelicans big man is now feeling as good as he has “in years,” he tells Christian Clark of NOLA.com. Nance, who played on Thursday for the first time since November 27, pointed to a dunk over Walker Kessler as an example of the type of play he wasn’t making a month or two ago. “It just felt good to get back to who I am,” Nance said. “Earlier in the season, I would have got that drop-off and tried to throw up some B.S. hook or some floater. I can make it. But that’s not who I am. That’s not what this team needs from me.”
Grizzlies guard Derrick Rose is loving being back in Memphis after spending a single college season with the Memphis Tigers 16 years ago, writes Damichael Cole of The Commercial Appeal. Rose and his family had never bought a home in any of the cities he previously played in, but they did so in Memphis this year, with the 35-year-old hoping to stick around for the foreseeable future. “When I did leave (after college), I always wished that I stayed a little bit longer,” Rose said. “That’s crazy, like all the times we’ve had chances to purchase spots and our first purchase was in Memphis.”

Nets Notes: Walker, Lineup, Bridges, Thomas

December 27th, 2023 at 3:32pm CST by Rory Maher

The Nets will be shorthanded on Wednesday against Milwaukee, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Three starters — Cameron Johnson (right knee sprain — injury maintenance), Nic Claxton (left ankle sprain — injury maintenance) and Spencer Dinwiddie (rest) — will be out, while key reserve Dorian Finney-Smith is questionable with left knee soreness.

Brooklyn just defeated Detroit on Tuesday, so it’s the second end of a back-to-back set for the Nets, who will also be without Ben Simmons (nerve impingement in lower back) and Lonnie Walker (left hamstring strain).

Here’s more on the Nets:

While he’s officially listed as out due to the hamstring injury, Walker’s return to action has been delayed by an illness, Lewis writes for The New York Post. “Yeah, Lonnie didn’t join us here in Detroit. The thought was he was going to travel with us. Had a little setback because of a virus,” head coach Jacque Vaughn said before Tuesday’s win. “So he’s been sick. And so really the last, I’m going to say three days, he hasn’t been able to be on court. And so again, he was supposed to be with us on this trip to get a workout in, wasn’t able to do that. So we’ve kind of pushed his availability back. We’ll check on him when (the team) gets home and hopefully he can continue towards working back on the court. But you won’t see him this week.” As Lewis notes, that means Walker will be sidelined on Friday as well, which will mark his 14th straight missed game.
Finney-Smith played the entire fourth quarter on Tuesday in place of Cam Thomas, and Vaughn suggested the veteran forward might return to the starting lineup soon, according to Lewis. “When I reflected back on that, I said I’ll continue to gather the data and the data would speak for itself,” Vaughn said. “I’m more analytically based than I ever have been in my career. So you take this group (with Thomas) that’s started recently, the numbers haven’t been efficient or sufficient enough for us, so there probably will be a change at some point. What that change is, I’ll continue to see what they need and what’s best for the group.“
In another article for The New York Post, Lewis says the Nets need Thomas and Mikal Bridges to get on the same page, as the team hasn’t played well while its top two scorers are on the court together. Brooklyn is just 3-5 when both players score 20-plus points, and the Nets have been outscored by a significant margin when Thomas and Bridges are paired.

Atlantic Notes: Finney-Smith, Claxton, Sixers’ Bench, Batum

December 19th, 2023 at 5:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Dorian Finney-Smith has been replaced in the Nets’ starting lineup by high-scoring Cam Thomas but the veteran forward isn’t pouting about it, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post.

“Oh, it wasn’t difficult at all, man. If that’s what they think is going to help us be successful, then I’m with it,” Finney-Smith said. “As long as I’m on the (floor), I can get on the court and play, and play my minutes hard. That’s all I can focus on. If (the Nets) win, everybody’s happy.”

Finney-Smith, who is signed through the 2025/26 season with a player option in the final year, is considered a trade candidate who could fetch draft capital if the Nets make him available.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

When HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto asked Nets center Nic Claxton about a Spencer Dinwiddie comment that Claxton could be worth $100MM in free agency, Claxton didn’t shy away from that notion. “I think he’s definitely telling the truth, but I can’t get caught up in all that,” said Claxton, an unrestricted free agent after the season. “I’ve got to go out and continue to do what I do. I know that financially, I’ll be taken care of at the end of the day.” Claxton added that he loves it in Brooklyn and hopes he can work out a deal with the Nets.
The Sixers have been involved in a number of blowouts in recent games and that’s given the end-of-the-bench players a chance to shed their warmups for extended action. They’ve been taking those minutes seriously, Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “Obviously, the third unit doesn’t have Joel Embiid,” Mohamed Bamba said. “But we definitely still practice the same plays. We still preach the same spacing and concepts and everything. It’s a matter of — I guess, if you want to say ‘show’ anything — showing the coaches that you know the plays, you know the coverages and you’re really dialed in.”
Sixers forward Nicolas Batum sat out Tuesday’s practice after leaving Monday’s game against Chicago with right hamstring tightness, Mizell tweets. Coach Nick Nurse said Batum will be out for “a couple days.” Marcus Morris and Robert Covington also missed practice due to illness.

New York Notes: DiVincenzo, Grimes, Walker, Finney-Smith

December 5th, 2023 at 2:45pm CST by Luke Adams

After making 7-of-9 three-point attempts in Friday’s win over Toronto, Knicks sharpshooter Donte DiVincenzo has converted 43.4% of his tries from beyond the arc this season, which would easily be a career high. Julius Randle says DiVincenzo has made New York “a more dynamic team,” while head coach Tom Thibodeau expressed appreciation for what the veteran wing has brought to the club, per Peter Botte of The New York Post.

“I think he complements our primary scorers great, because he can stretch the floor and he does a little bit of everything,” Thibodeau said. “He handles the ball, he makes plays, he rebounds the ball well for his size. So he’s done a really good job, but it’s that entire [second] unit that’s really done a good job.”

DiVincenzo, who signed a four-year contract during the 2023 offseason, is one of two Knicks players who will become trade-eligible on December 15, but there have certainly been no indications that the team will look to move him this season.

Here’s more on the NBA’s two New York teams:

Knicks wing Quentin Grimes is off to a slow start this season, having averaged just 6.2 points per game on 36.3% shooting. However, Thibodeau remains comfortable with Grimes as part of the starting five because the group as a whole is performing well, writes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. “To me, it’s not about individuals. It’s about, how is the unit performing?” Thibodeau said. “And if the unit is performing well, then you’re fine, right? And if you’re open, you shoot it, and if you’re guarded, you make a play. He can help a lot, and he does. He’s guarding a lot of different players for us. That’s a very important role for our team.”
After missing Saturday’s win over Orlando, Lonnie Walker underwent imaging on his left hamstring strain and is expected to remain sidelined for several more games, head coach Jacque Vaughn said on Tuesday (Twitter link via Brian Lewis of The New York Post). “Lonnie’s situation is he will not travel with us to Atlanta (for Wednesday’s game) and all signs pointing towards him not playing on the West Coast trip (which runs from Dec. 11-18) and having some more information about that after we get back from the West Coast trip,” Vaughn told reporters.
On the plus side for the Nets, Dorian Finney-Smith, who was also unavailable on Saturday due to right foot/knee soreness, practiced on Tuesday and is “back in action,” according to Vaughn (Twitter link via Lewis).
Although the Nets‘ 10-9 record isn’t a major surprise, their strong offensive production has been a little unexpected, Braziller says for The New York Post. Seven different Nets are averaging double-digit points per game and Brooklyn’s 117.5 offensive rating ranks sixth in the NBA. The club is also second in the league with a 39.0% three-point rate, Braziller notes.

Eastern Rumors: Nets, Quickley, Hawks, Hayward, Martin

November 29th, 2023 at 3:22pm CST by Luke Adams

Executives around the NBA continue to monitor Nets forwards Dorian Finney-Smith and Royce O’Neale, who were considered trade candidates during the offseason, writes Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

Rival executives believe Brooklyn will seek the equivalent of two first-round picks for Finney-Smith, though they hope that cost will drop closer to the deadline, according to Scotto, who adds that some execs who spoke to HoopsHype think the Nets would want a protected first-round pick for O’Neale. Finney-Smith still has multiple years left on his contract, while O’Neale is on an expiring deal.

Teams are also eyeing Nic Claxton and are curious to see whether Brooklyn is willing to roll the dice on re-signing him as an unrestricted free agent next summer, since he won’t become extension-eligible before then. For now, the Nets view Claxton as part of their core and wouldn’t be inclined to move him unless they get an offer that blows them away, Scotto explains.

Finally, some NBA executives think that veteran guard Spencer Dinwiddie might be available on the trade market later this season — and they think he’d have some value. “Dinwiddie can help a team and make big shots,” one exec told Scotto.

Scotto has more trade rumors and notes from around the Eastern Conference. Let’s dive in…

Rival teams are keeping an eye on whether or not the Knicks will make Immanuel Quickley available, according to Scotto, who says the guard was seeking about $25MM per year on a rookie scale extension before the season, while New York offered approximately $18MM annually. “I think Quickley might be New York’s best trade asset besides Jalen Brunson,” one league executive told HoopsHype.
The Hawks still have some trade interest in Raptors forward Pascal Siakam, says Scotto. De’Andre Hunter and Clint Capela were mentioned during the offseason as possible trade candidates for Atlanta and Scotto believes one or both players could be available again before February’s deadline. However, the Mavericks‘ interest in Capela has diminished due to the strong play of rookie Dereck Lively, Scotto notes.
Multiple “playoff-caliber” teams have been in touch with the Hornets to gauge the potential availability of veteran forward Gordon Hayward, per Scotto.
Scotto also reports that teams have expressed some exploratory interest in Sixers wing KJ Martin, who was part of the James Harden blockbuster earlier this month. Martin has played a limited role in Philadelphia but is coming off a solid year in Houston.