At the start of the 2025 offseason, Rob Pelinka was under heavy fire. The Lakers had just been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. Dorian Finney-Smith, their best perimeter defender and an elite two-way wing, left in free agency.
And after trading for Luka Doncic and bringing back LeBron James, expectations were sky-high. But instead of a blockbuster signing or a bold trade, the Lakers started the summer with silence and disappointment.
Finney-Smith’s departure was a significant blow. He had arrived from Brooklyn in a midseason trade and quickly became a key contributor. More importantly, he had strong chemistry with Luka Doncic, their former Dallas Mavericks connection adding a sense of stability on and off the court.
Losing Finney-Smith, especially without an immediate replacement, raised serious questions about the Lakers’ direction and urgency.
Yet behind the scenes, Pelinka was working. Quietly. And the pieces slowly began to fall into place.
Instead of committing big money to retain Finney-Smith, who signed a four-year, $52.7 million deal with the Houston Rockets, Pelinka opted for value. He spread the same salary over three key players: Jake LaRavia, DeAndre Ayton, and Marcus Smart.
On paper, none of them match Finney-Smith’s defensive prowess one-on-one. But together? They might actually provide more balance, versatility, and long-term upside, all for roughly the same annual cost.
Let’s break it down.
Deandre Ayton signed a two-year deal worth $16.2 million or $8.1 million per year. Jake LaRavia joined on a two-year, $12 million deal or $6 million annually. And Marcus Smart took a two-year, $11.0 million contract, averaging $5.5 million a year.
That adds up to just over $19.3 million per year, which is well within the range the Lakers would have had to pay Finney-Smith alone, had they pursued a longer deal.
What Pelinka did was flip a potential $18–20 million long-term investment into a three-player package that adds shooting, defense, leadership, and depth, all without being locked into future salary past 2027.
And age matters too. Finney-Smith is already 32 and was reportedly eligible for a four-year extension worth up to $96.5 million, which would have locked the Lakers into paying serious money for a declining asset into his mid-30s.
By contrast, LaRavia is just 24 and still developing. Ayton is 27, entering his physical prime. Even Marcus Smart, at 31, brings defensive intensity and leadership at a very manageable price and on a short-term commitment.
This isn’t to say the Lakers are now instant title favorites. They still need another move, and Pelinka has yet to cash in on his tradeable assets. But these signings, once seen as underwhelming, now look smart, calculated, and financially shrewd.
For all the early noise about failure, Pelinka may have pulled off one of the most overlooked value plays of the offseason. While the Lakers haven’t hit a home run, they’ve quietly loaded the bases.
And all of this couldn’t come at a better time, because Luka Doncic’s extension talks are right around the corner. The superstar guard is eligible to sign a four-year, $228 million extension this summer, and the Lakers’ front office knows every move counts.
The fact that Doncic actively recruited both Ayton and Smart speaks volumes. He’s invested. He’s involved. And more importantly, he wants to build something real in Los Angeles.
These efficient, flexible moves signal to Luka that the Lakers are serious about constructing a sustainable contender around him. That kind of long-term vision might be exactly what convinces him to stay.
