After stealing Luka Don\u010di\u0107 from the Dallas Mavericks at the trade deadline in February, Lakers President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka easily could have rested on his laurels this offseason. He could have run back the same group in hopes that a full season with Don\u010di\u0107, LeBron James and Austin Reaves would result in a deep playoff run.<\/p>\n
Instead, Pelinka made the unpopular decision to allow Dorian Finney-Smith to walk in free agency. When the details of his contract later emerged<\/a> \u2014 namely that it\u2019s only guaranteed for two years \u2014 it looked even worse on the surface.<\/p>\n As we noted back in July<\/a>, the Lakers effectively had to choose between re-signing Finney-Smith and using the $14.1 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception, the latter of which would hard-cap them at the $195.9 million first apron. They went the latter route, splitting it between Deandre Ayton ($8.1 million) and Jake LaRavia ($6.0 million). After Marcus Smart agreed to a contract buyout with the Washington Wizards in late July, the Lakers also added him on a two-year, $10.5 million deal via the bi-annual exception.<\/p>\n Two weeks into the season, it appears as though the Lakers picked the optimal path.<\/p>\n Finney-Smith underwent ankle surgery in mid-June and was originally expected to be back in time for training camp, according to ESPN\u2019s Dave McMenamin<\/a>. However, he still has yet to make his Houston Rockets debut, and it remains unclear when he might. While the Rockets have the frontcourt depth to withstand his early-season absence, the Lakers would have been in a world of hurt with both Finney-Smith and LeBron sidelined at the start of the year.<\/p>\n Instead, the Lakers effectively broke up Finney-Smith\u2019s contract slot into both Ayton and LaRavia, which gave them major upgrades at two positions.<\/p>\n Ayton may never fully live up to his self-proclaimed DominAyton nickname, but he\u2019s been far better than the sorry excuse for a frontcourt that the Lakers trotted out after the Don\u010di\u0107 trade last year. They were relying on Jaxson Hayes, Alex Len and Maxi Kleber as their primary bigs once the playoffs began, which actually meant that they spent most of the series against the Minnesota Timberwolves downsizing with a small-ball five.<\/p>\n Through eight games, Ayton is averaging 17.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks while shooting 65.7% from the field. He has the speed and skill to serve as a pick-and-roll partner to Don\u010di\u0107 and Reaves and the size to gobble up rebounds. Opponents might put a bullseye on him defensively once the playoffs roll around, but he\u2019s been a vital part to the Lakers\u2019 7-2 start to the season<\/a>.<\/p>\n The same goes for LaRavia, whom Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards is now familiar with<\/a>. LaRavia shot a career-high 42.3% from deep last season between the Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings, albeit on low volume. That\u2019s carried right over to L.A.<\/a>, where he\u2019s shooting 40.6% from 3-point range on 3.6 attempts per game.<\/p>\n LaRavia\u2019s 27-point, eight-rebound masterpiece against the Timberwolves<\/a> was the highlight of his season so far, although he had 26 points, eight boards, four steals and three assists in the Lakers\u2019 130-120 win over the Miami Heat on Sunday, too.<\/p>\n \u201cHe just has a really good feel,\u201d Redick told reporters about LaRavia after the Heat game. \u201cHis knack for the basketball as a defender. His knack for the basketball as a rebounder. He just has a real intuitive feel for the game.\u201d<\/p>\n Smart fits that mold, too. His value plummeted after two injury-ravaged seasons, but he cemented himself as one of the league\u2019s premier defensive pests around the turn of the decade with the Boston Celtics. He\u2019s looking rejuvenated in a complementary role in L.A.<\/p>\n The NBA\u2019s second-apron era is designed to force teams into tough financial choices at times. Allowing Finney-Smith to walk and leave the Lakers empty-handed might have been a tough decision, especially given his relationship with Don\u010di\u0107 from their time together on the Mavericks.<\/p>\n But given what the Lakers did with the financial flexibility they created by letting Finney-Smith walk, it was a no-brainer. Adding all three of Ayton, LaRavia and Smart was masterful work from a GM who\u2019s been on a heater all year.<\/p>\n Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com<\/a>, PBPStats<\/a>, Cleaning the Glass<\/a> or Basketball Reference<\/a>. All salary information via Salary Swish<\/a> and salary-cap information via RealGM<\/a>.<\/p>\n