It has been almost seven days since the action tipped off in free agency, but the Lakers are still on zero shooting. With one after another target slipping away from the franchise, the promises of being aggressive in the market are now turning into hollow words. The latest to join the list of missed opportunities is Dorian Finney-Smith, as two Eastern Conference heavyweights are ready to tackle the Lakers out of the race.

Lakers Daily’s Anthony Irwin revealed Dorian Finney-Smith as a target for the LA franchise. “Brooklyn wants a first-round pick for Finney-Smith,” Irwin wrote along with the status of a few other trade targets. Dorian’s Nets teammate Cam Johnson is also under the Lakers’ radar but the Cavs have picked up interest in the 3-and-D wing. ESPN’s senior writer Zach Lowe confirmed the interest on Friday and now, to make matters worse, the Sixers have joined the fray.

According to Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype, the Sixers have expressed interest in trading for Dorian Finney-Smith alongside the Cavaliers. Both franchises have a sign-and-trade deal in mind with Cleveland offering Isaac Okoro and KJ Martin being offered by the 76ers. The Nets want a first-round pick in return, and the Cavs have one available – their 2031 pick. What does the Lakers have to offer? Reports suggest the common names of D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jalen Hood-Schifino and Gabe Vincent are available for trade. Apart from D’Lo, the Lakers are offering the rest in pairs to compensate for the lack of picks.

After Mikal Bridges‘ trade to the Knicks, the Nets are in full reset mode. After their failed push to clinch a title with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the Nets choose to look at the future by trading their superstars for future draft picks. They did the same last summer by hauling four first-round and two second-round future draft picks by trading KD to the Suns. Now by trading Mikal Bridges, who was one of the pieces acquired by trading Durant, the Nets have accumulated four more unprotected future first-round draft picks along with pick swaps and multiple second-round picks. By trading Finney-Smith, the franchise is looking to add a few more first-round picks to secure their future and his current contract status makes him an ideal trade chip.

Dorian Finney-Smith will enter his penultimate year in the $55,560,960 contract and ticks all the boxes that the Lakers are looking for in their potential wing hunt. A two-way player, comfortable from beyond the 3-pts arc with a 34.8% success rate matches the quick-shooting style JJ Redick advocates for. Dorian’s 55.6% 3-pts shooting en route to a season-high 21 points in the game against the Bulls last season is a testament to his proven shooting threat. Putting RPG and APG in the mix, his whole stat line of 8.5-4.7-1.6 gives a fair idea of his all-round ability. His sturdy game on the other side of the hardwood also makes him a valuable asset to close out games, and that is the key reason for the interest in the 31-year-old forward. But how much chance does the Lakers have with the Cavs and the Sixers in the race?

Assessing Lakers’ cap space situation compared to the two Eastern rivals

“If the right deal comes and we have to put in draft picks, we will. I think we’ve talked about it before, where we’re now in the ‘apron world.’ We’ve seen contending teams or championship-level teams have to lose players…Does it make trades more challenging? Yes. Does it make good trades impossible? No,” Rob Pelinka said during the draft pick introduction press conference a few days ago. But as of now, Pelinka and Co. are only finding the trades more challenging rather than having a pleasing answer to the second question he put forth.

But why the Lakers are finding it challenging? The answer is the Collective Bargaining Agreement. With the introduction of the Collective Bargaining Agreement in 2023, spending limits have tied cash-rich owners. Looking at the tight cap spaces of the Lakers along with the Sixers and the Cavs would give a better perspective on it. According to Spotrac, the Lakers are currently operating $10.8 million over the first apron of luxury tax. Compared to it, Philly is operating below $10.3 million for the first apron and $21.1 million below the second apron of $188.9 million. The Cavs are also in a healthy position even after providing Donovan Mitchell a $150.3 million extension. The Cavs are currently $5.2 million away from the first and $15.9 million away from the second apron.

Hence, given the financial shackles, the Sixers are in a favorable position compared to both the Cavs and Lakers to land Dorian Finney-Smith. With the teams better than the Lakers on paper rapidly improving, the 17-time NBA champions might find themselves in deep waters next season, waiting to be feasted upon by the sharks.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what brand maker, Leonard Armato, had to say about the deadly duo, Shaq and Kobe, check out this video