Los Angeles Lakers forward Dorian Finney-Smith had surgery on his left ankle and is expected to be ready for fall training camp for next season, ESPN reported on Thursday.
Finney-Smith, 32, has played through the lingering injury for several years, according to the report, and the surgery will make him pain-free. He missed eight games last season due to left ankle issues, per Lakers’ injury reports, after sitting out 12 games with the Brooklyn Nets for a sprained left ankle and a left calf contusion which he had said was related to the ankle issue.
Finney-Smith averaged 7.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 43 regular-season games (20 starts) with the Lakers, who acquired him from Brooklyn on Dec. 29, 2024. Los Angeles was 29-14 in games he played, including 14-6 as a starter, and qualified as the Western Conference’s No. 3 seed in the playoffs.
He averaged 10.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 20 games (all starts) with the Nets last season.
For his career, Finney-Smith has averaged 8.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 28.0 minutes in 591 games (444 starts) for the Dallas Mavericks (2016-23), Nets (2023-24) and Lakers.
Finney-Smith has a June 29 deadline to opt out of the final year of his contract, with a value of $15.4 million for next season. He has been eligible since mid-February to negotiate an extension before the beginning of free agency on June 30.
–Field Level Media
