Report: Lakers eyeing trade for former JJ Redick teammate

JJ Redick may be digging through his old contacts list to help the Los Angeles Lakers improve.

During a recent X broadcast, Lakers writer Anthony Irwin of ClutchPoints reported that the Lakers have expressed trade interest in forward Dorian Finney-Smith of the Brooklyn Nets.

“I know that the Lakers checked in on Dorian Finney-Smith last year, and they’ve been in constant contact with Brooklyn about him,” Irwin said.

Finney-Smith, 31, is known for his wing defense at 6-foot-7 and is averaging 10.8 points per game this year on a career-best 41.0 percent from three. He also shares a noteworthy connection with the Lakers head coach Redick. Finney-Smith and Redick were teammates on the Dallas Mavericks during the 2020-21 season, which ended up being Redick’s final year in the NBA.

The Lakers are 10-6 this season (fourth in the West) but are a bottom-five team in defensive rating as they sorely lack consistency on that end outside of Anthony Davis and Cam Reddish (who recently replaced D’Angelo Russell in the starting lineup). That is likely why they are eyeing Finney-Smith, who could be one of several players whom the Nets move at the trade deadline.