If there are two things that the Sacramento Kings need, and it's definitely more than two, it's three-point shooting and defense. That's why a good 3&D player like Dorian Finney-Smith could do wonders for the team. And as luck would have it, he's available to trade starting December 15.
DFS has been in the league since 2016, when the Mavericks picked up the undrafted forward. Nearing a decade in the NBA, he spent most of his career in Dallas before short runs with the Nets and the Lakers. Now, he's technically on the Rockets, the key word being "technically."
While he is on the team, Finney-Smith has yet to play a game with Houston. He sustained an ankle injury in the offseason and has been riding the bench ever since. There are rumors that he is close to making his debut, but the Rockets have been incredibly tight-lipped about his progress.
The whole point of signing him in the offseason was his three-point shooting and defense to make up for the players lost in the Kevin Durant trade. But the Rockets have been playing incredibly well without him, enough so to make one wonder if they really need him on the roster.
Dorian Finney-Smith would look good in a Kings' uniform
Sacramento, on the other hand, definitely needs him. DFS is a reliable three-point threat, sometimes shooting in the range of 40%. The Kings simply don't have someone that reliable from long-distance and could really use a player like Finney-Smith on the perimeter.
More than that, Dorian is a versatile defender who has the ability to guard multiple positions and switch on the fly between them effectively. The man has a high basketball IQ, which often shows in the heads-up plays he makes on defense. Again, this is a skillset the Kings are lacking.
Finney-Smith is a high-energy player who never stops hustling. That's what makes him such a tough defender as well as a dangerous three-point shooter, particularly in transition. He's one of those bench guys who can step on the court and change the momentum of a game with a couple of plays.
Being that the Kings seem intent on trading Keon Ellis, sending him and Devin Carter to the Rockets for DFS is the most likely move. That depends on what the Rockets are looking for, of course. Being that half the league is calling about Ellis, it's not hard to imagine the Rockets showing interest, too.