DFS/Laravia Rating: Rockets add another strong support to target the championship, the Lakers are careful to maintain depth

Rockets sign Dorian Finney Smith

Rating: A

The Rockets reportedly reached a four-year, $53 million contract with forward Dorian Finney Smith.

The Rockets signed one of the best free agents to change the team after getting Kevin Durant through a trade early in the offseason, which reminded me of the summer of 2017.

That year, the Rockets got Chris Paul by signing first and then changing, and the way they built this deal allowed themselves to sign PJ Tucker using the non-luxury tax middle class special case - he, like Smith, is an experienced 3D character player. Tucker eventually made the starting lineup, helping the Rockets win 65 games and fighting defending champions Warriors in seven games in the Western Conference Finals.

Smith helped the Rockets fill the vacancy left after sending defensive champion Dillon Brooks to the Suns in the Durant trade. According to GeniusIQ's tracking data, among the three players Brooks' most frequently matched in the half-court defense, including a center (Victor Vinbanyama) and a point guard (Shay Gilgers Alexander), Smith's overall qualities are slightly less than that.

At this stage of Smith's career, it may be preferable to have him defend a forward defender who is more agile. The Rockets can help Smith with Amen Thompson, who was selected for the All-Defensive Team, who proved himself to be one of the best point defenders in the NBA last season.

On the offensive end, Smith will be more suitable to partner with Durant than Brooks. In the starting five, four positions (Durant, Thompson, All-Star center Alperen Shinkyung and point guard Fred Van Vreet) all have the ability to create offensive opportunities with the ball, so the Rockets mainly need the fifth position in the lineup to open up the field. Smith has shot 38% from three-pointers in the past six seasons, and has reached 41% last season, and he can provide better space abilities than Brooks. Although Brooks shot a career-high 40% three-point shooting percentage in the 2024-25 season, his career three-point shooting percentage was only 35.5%.

There are some risks here that Smith's four-year contract may become a negative asset contract at the end. But Tucker's situation proved not to be the case, who eventually helped the Bucks win the 2021 championship in the final season of his four-year contract. Still, more guaranteed amounts explain why Smith refused to enforce his $15.4 million player option for the 2025-26 season, after all, the option is higher than the average annual salary for his new contract. On the positive side, the Rockets signed Smith with a contract that was lower than the non-luxury tax middle class exception could make it easier for them to avoid paying luxury taxes next season. If Smith's contract includes a 5% annual salary increase, the Rockets' final total salary should exceed the luxury tax line by about $3 million, which means trading Cameron Whitmore or multiple basic salary contracts in the middle of the season can help the Rockets avoid luxury tax.

Whether the Rockets pay the luxury tax this year is a small matter, but it could have a significant impact on the future in terms of launching the timer for duplicate luxury tax.

For now, signing Smith gives the Rockets a solid core seven, including forward Jabbarry Smith Jr. (who signed a five-year early contract extension for rookie on Monday) and Tari Ethan. The Rockets can supplement the combination with center Steven Adams, as well as recent first-round picks Whitmore and Reed Shepard, who became a key contributor in the playoff double-in-the-line roster.

According to ESPN reporter Shams Charania, the Rockets also intend to renew their contracts with their own free agents Jeff Green, Aaron Holiday and Jessian Tate.

All of this means that the Rockets seem to have accomplished a rare feat: without sacrificing any depth of the lineup while getting Durant to boost the stardom. The Rockets are perfect for dealing with Durant’s possible absence during the regular season and are still able to accumulate wins. As long as the Thunder stays healthy, as the defending champions, they are naturally the biggest favorite to win the championship again. However, like in 2018, I think the Rockets are the biggest threat on the Thunder’s road to defending their title.

Lakers sign Jack Laravia

Rating: B+

It is reported that the Lakers and forward Jack Laravia have reached a two-year, $12 million contract.

I like Laravia to be the target candidate for the Lakers, but there is an important premise, that is, they must determine who will be the starting center.

Laravia was the first round pick of the Grizzlies in 2022, and the team refused to execute his rookie contract option for the 2025-26 season before the start of last season. Then, Laravia ushered in the best season of his career, shooting 42% from three-pointers and his real shooting percentage increased from 53.8% in the previous two years to 59.1%.

Although the Grizzlies traded Laravia to the Kings on the trade deadline, the team options that were denied execution limit the Kings' ability to renew his contract. The Kings will only offer Laravia a maximum of $5.6 million next season, which is exactly the amount of the team's option. The Lakers more or less matched with a two-year contract.

For the Lakers, the most appropriate part of Laravia's signing is his age. He is only 23 years old and is still growing into a contributing player. And if this is a direct two-year contract, the Lakers will be able to renew his contract with him in the summer of 2027, when he was 25 years old.

Based on Laravia's age and output, my prediction system ranks him out of the top 20 free agents list. If this prediction is reliable, then a $6 million contract per year should be cost-effective.

Because Laravia's contract amount is too large for a biennial exception, the Lakers are likely to need to use their $14.1 million non-luxury tax middle class exception. In this way, the Lakers have about $8 million left for spending, which is likely to be spent on a center.

Split the Middle Agent Special would be more helpful to the Lakers' roster depth than using it all for one player, as splitting the Middle Agent Special would keep their reliable rotation number of players unchanged after seeing Smith reach an agreement with the Rockets earlier on Tuesday.

Author: Kevin Pelton

Translator: GWayNe