In fact, the Lakers are one of the biggest losers of free agency<\/a>, having only made one signing during the period so far.<\/p>\n The Lakers lost three of their free agent targets<\/a> to other teams on Day 1 of free agency. To make matters worse, the Lakers then lost Dorian Finney-Smith in free agency<\/a> as well.<\/p>\n It\u2019s hard to understand why the Lakers aren\u2019t being more aggressive. Rob Pelinka wants to prioritize the 2027 free agency window<\/a>, something many fans cannot understand, given he has LeBron James<\/a> and Luka Doncic<\/a> on his roster.<\/p>\n But things are only going from bad to worse for the Lakers\u2019 president, as it appears his handling of the negotiations with Dorian Finney-Smith<\/a> cost him a valuable two-way wing player.<\/p>\n Zach Lowe spoke on his podcast about what he heard about the Los Angeles Lakers\u2019 approach to free agency so far.<\/p>\n Specifically, when it came to the Dorian Finney-Smith negotiations, Lowe admitted that he heard things were not going well between the two sides.<\/p>\n This is because the Lakers were prioritizing their long-term money, and the talks between the two sides soured quite a bit.<\/p>\n \u201cOn Saturday, I said, \u2018Keep an eye on the Finney-Smith situation. That\u2019s going to be the tell for me for how the Lakers are going to be thinking about things. I heard negotiations were going badly.<\/p>\n \u201cHe even opted out. Do the Lakers even want to pay him? The answer to that turned out to be no.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Lakers didn\u2019t want to pay him, and he opted out. And I don\u2019t think they ended on very good terms either.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Rob Pelinka making big mistake being so cautious<\/p>\n If the nature of these negotiations is true, then Rob Pelinka<\/a> is making a big mistake with the way he is approaching free agency.<\/p>\n Right now, Pelinka has two of the best players in the NBA in LeBron James and Luka Doncic. Rather than going all out and assembling a championship roster, he is trying to maintain flexibility for the future.<\/p>\n Outside of the Lakers signing Jake LaRavia<\/a>, they haven\u2019t made any big waves this offseason. But they are expected to sign Deandre Ayton<\/a> today.<\/p>\n Breaking: Deandre Ayton is finalizing a contract buyout with the Portland Trail Blazers to become a free agent, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com\/DNYcNqRvkW<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n View Tweet<\/p>\n![\"NBA](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GettyImages-2206872890-941x627.jpg\")
Photo by Michael Hickey\/Getty ImagesLA Lakers and Dorian Finney-Smith negotiations didn\u2019t end well<\/p>\n