The Los Angeles Lakers sent shockwaves across the basketball world when they acquired Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton from the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday. It was widely viewed as a great move by the Lakers and they have now gotten Magic Johnson’s seal of approval as well.
“Laker Nation, I am so excited about the trade for Dorian Finney-Smith. He’s an excellent defender and 3-point shooter – just what the Lakers needed!”
Johnson also praised Lakers GM Rob Pelinka for pulling off this move
“Really good move by Rob Pelinka. The Lakers also acquired Shake Milton!”
This was certainly a good move. Finney-Smith is exactly the kind of player the Lakers have been crying out for in recent years. He is an elite 3-and-D wing, who was averaging 10.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game for the Nets in 2024-25 while shooting 43.5% from beyond the arc.
The Lakers have a defensive rating of 114.9 this season, which ranks 21st in the NBA. They had to bring in someone to address their defensive issues and Finney-Smith’s arrival should make them better on that end of the floor.
As for Milton, it’s unlikely he’ll make a big impact for the Lakers. He was averaging 7.4 points, 1.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 0.6 steals per game as a reserve for the Nets and is expected to come off the bench now as well.
The Lakers are currently fifth in the Western Conference with an 18-13 record and you would expect them to climb up the standings after making this move. They are just three games behind the 22-11 Memphis Grizzlies, currently second in the West, and could well catch up in the coming weeks.
The Lakers are also capable of making another big move after making this trade, as they didn’t give up any first-round picks. They only had to part with D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis, and three second-round picks to get Finney-Smith and Melton. It will be interesting to see if the Lakers go all out and make another win-now move after this.
Magic Johnson Was Very Critical Of The Lakers Previously
Johnson sang the Lakers’ praises here but he was not too happy with what he had seen from them earlier. Magic was incredibly critical of the Lakers during an appearance on Sirius XM NBA Radio in mid-December
Johnson thought the Lakers were too reliant on LeBron James and Anthony Davis and called out the role players for being inconsistent. He was also very unhappy about how the team was defending.
While those are big enough concerns, Johnson wasn’t done there. He felt the Lakers didn’t have an identity and were lacking in terms of talent as well. To say he wasn’t too high on the 2024-25 Lakers at that point would be an understatement. They have now at least taken a step in the right direction in his mind with this trade.
We’ll see the new-look Lakers in action for the first time on Tuesday at 9 PM ET when they take on the Cleveland Cavaliers at Crypto.com Arena. The Cavaliers have the best record in the NBA at 27-4, so it will be quite a tough challenge for them.
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We really appreciate your support.
