The Houston Rockets are trading Dorian Finney-Smith to the Charlotte Hornets. Finney-Smith finished the year with averages of 3.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists per contest. On Friday, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported the news.
What happened?
The Houston Rockets are trading Dorian Finney-Smith and three second-round picks to the Charlotte Hornets. Charania wrote: “The Houston Rockets are trading Dorian Finney-Smith and three second-round picks to the Charlotte Hornets, sources tell ESPN.”
Reaction from NBA world
@LakersLead: “Rob was right all along” @LakersNation: “It took three seconds for Houston to get off the DFS contract. 😳” @BiasedHouston: “Yeah, not a huge fan that our biggest free agent acquisition from last offseason had to be salary dumped with 3 second round picks, but here we are.”
Looking At Finney-Smith
Finney-Smith spent the first 6.5 seasons of his career with the Dallas Mavericks. He then had stints with the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers. The 33-year-old is an intriguing addition to the Hornets.
| Date | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-02 | Los Angeles Lakers | 78-98 |
The Houston Rockets recent form is 2W-0D-3L. Last result: Houston Rockets 78-98 Los Angeles Lakers (2026-05-02). Finney-Smith will go into the Hornets NTMLE. Charlotte is still well under the luxury tax at about $32M or so. Houston will drop to about $3.6M under the tax, $12.2M under the first apron and $24.9M under the second apron. Three open roster spots. Keith Smith said: “Dorian Finney-Smith will go into the Hornets NTMLE.” @jyotishi_sivam: “Houston signed DFS for $53M and is now paying THREE picks to give him away a year later? 🤷♂️☠️”