Yet again, the Los Angeles Lakers are going through a long, empty offseason after failing to win the NBA championship or even make a deep playoff run. They have plenty of work to do this summer, and it starts with adding a couple more pieces to what seems to be a championship-caliber core.
The extended downtime will at least give their players a chance to fully recuperate and prepare for next season. For one key player, it meant going under the knife in order to solve a nagging problem.
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Per Dave McMenamin of ESPN, Lakers forward Dorian Finney-Smith had a procedure done on his left ankle. It is not expected to interfere with his availability for next season.
Via ESPN:
“Los Angeles Lakers forward Dorian Finney-Smith underwent surgery on his left ankle and is expected to be able to participate in training camp ahead of the 2025-26 NBA season, sources told ESPN,” McMenamin wrote.
The procedure reportedly aimed to fix an ankle problem he has had for quite some time.
“The procedure will allow the 32-year-old Finney-Smith to play pain-free after cleaning up a lingering ankle injury that he fought to play through the past several seasons.”
Finney-Smith was traded by the Brooklyn Nets to the Lakers in late December. His arrival seemed to spark a transformation for the Lakers into a defensive-minded team, and he was the type of 3-and-D player they had badly needed for a few years.
He has a player option for $15.38 million that he can turn down in order to become a free agent this summer. Retaining him is one thing on the Lakers’ to-do list as far as being able to seriously contend for the NBA championship next season.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: A key Lakers player just had a surgical procedure