Dorian Finney-Smith is on the move again, and this time Charlotte is the landing spot.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the former Florida forward is headed to the Hornets with three second-round picks in a deal that gives the Houston Rockets more roster flexibility. Charania also reported that Charlotte now owns 20 second-rounders over the next seven years and has the second-most tradeable picks in the NBA. For Houston, the move helps create room after the additions of Marcus Smart and Bogdan Bogdanovic, along with a $13 million trade exception.
Finney-Smith, now 33, just finished his 10th NBA season after going undrafted in 2016. His 2025-26 campaign was the quietest of his career, as he logged a career-low 16.8 minutes per game in a crowded Rockets frontcourt. He started only once in 37 appearances, which was the third-fewest games he has played in a season, and put up 3.3 points and 2.5 rebounds per night.
His path to the league was anything but direct. Finney-Smith transferred to Florida from Virginia Tech in June of 2012 and had to sit out the 2012-13 season under the transfer rules in place at the time.
Once he got on the floor for the Gators, he made his mark quickly. As a sophomore in 2013-14, Finney-Smith earned SEC Sixth Man of the Year honors, becoming just the second Florida player to win it at the time, following Chris Richard in 2007.
In his first season with the Gators, he led the team in rebounds with 247 total and 6.7 per game. He also delivered the first 20-point, 15-rebound road game by a Gator during Billy Donovan’s tenure, finishing with a career-best 22 points in an overtime win over Arkansas.
By his junior season in 2014-15, Finney-Smith had become one of Florida’s most reliable all-around pieces. He made the All-SEC Second Team by the coaches and again led the Gators in scoring, rebounding and three-point shooting, averaging 13.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and shooting .426 from deep. His best scoring night came against Jacksonville, when he dropped a career-high 25 points and hit 5 of 7 from three.
As a senior in 2015-16, he picked up more postseason recognition, landing second-team All-SEC honors from the coaches and third-team All-SEC from the Associated Press. He led Florida in scoring for a second straight year at 14.7 points per game and topped the rebounding chart for the third year in a row at 8.3. He also became the first Florida player to reach 1,000 points after transferring into the program, and his 1,220 career points ranked 36th in school history when he left.
Charlotte’s latest shakeup gives Finney-Smith a chance to chase a bigger role. The Hornets recently sent LaMelo Ball and Josh Green to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Naz Reid and a haul of picks, including a 2033 unprotected first-rounder, three second-rounders in 2029, 2032 and 2033, and first-round swaps in 2028, 2029 and 2030. Reid, the 2024 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, averaged 13.6 points and 6.2 rebounds last season and shot 37.1 percent from three for his career.
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LSU has also pushed hard, including a recent visit that put Brewster face-to-face with Lane Kiffin and Ed Orgeron during the Tigers five-star weekend. Even so, Brewster has kept saying he remains loyal to Texas Tech while leaving the door open to more visits before he makes a final call. For Florida, that means the door is still cracked open in a battle where momentum can change quickly, and the Gators have given themselves a real chance to stay in it. [Read more 🡒]