The Hawks' latest beauty of a trade in a long string of similar deals saw yet another two-way talent join Atlanta's staunch core of defenders.
Acquiring Dorian Finney-Smith for Buddy Hield, Ryan Nembhard and cash could easily wind up being the steal of the summer in the A, but it all hinges upon one vital aspect of DFS' game.
While Finney-Smith has typically exhibited a strong proficiency to fire from range, last year was anything but a continuation of his upwards trend - if there's a world where Saleh extends DFS past the coming season, it's a world where his shot is back in full form.
Finney-Smith's three-point woes of yesteryear
Despite being a career 36% sniper on high volume, DFS had a down year in Houston.
Finney-Smith left much to be desired from long range for the Rockets, converting on a mere 27% of 2.7 3PA per night. Outside of his shooting drought, Finney-Smith also averaged a career-low 17 minutes per game.
Having been known as a defense-first wing nearly his whole career, Finney-Smith has also carried with him the 3&D label - without the shooting, however, Finney-Smith's older age begins to represent substantially more danger for a coach hoping to slot in a wing to a dynamic offense.
Atlanta's bet on Finney-Smith's shooting returning to form isn't out of left field. While he wasn't present for the Mavs' 2024 NBA Finals run, his performance en route to their 2022 WCF berth was sensational, especially from deep.
Finney-Smith converted on a stellar 39.5%, 45.0%, and 44.0% of looks from range during the Mavericks' three series in 2022. Certainly some of these elite metrics can be attributed to playing adjacent to Luka Doncic, one of the most dominant offensive engines in league history, but it's absolutely nothing to scoff at.
Atlanta's path to an extension with Finney-Smith
Should Dorian's shooting return to career form, the Hawks could continue their recent history of creating ample cap room with mutually beneficial contracts with DFS next summer.
Finney-Smith profiles to be yet another defensive stopper in an already staunch core featuring Lu Dort, Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and more. As he nears the twilight of his career, Atlanta could offer a contract capable of featuring DFS in a perennial bench role.
Perhaps a 2-year, $10M deal (slightly more lucrative than the 10-year veteran minimum) would be enough to secure DFS as a mainstay in Atlanta prior to his looming retirement a few years down the line.
Given Onsi Saleh's growing history of shrewd trades and contract extension negotiations, don't be surprised if Finney-Smith winds up finding a long-term home with the Hawks - should his shooting blossom back to his career mean (or better).
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