Dorian Finney-Smith’s NBA journey could take another turn before the 2026-27 season even begins. The veteran forward has already gone from Dallas to Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Houston and Charlotte since February 2023, and another move could now be on the table.
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The timing is interesting because Finney-Smith is coming off the worst three-point shooting season of his career. He shot just 27% from deep for Houston last season, a major drop from the 41.1% he shot across Brooklyn and Los Angeles the year before.
On September 20, NBA insider Jake Fischer reported, “Atlanta and Charlotte, league sources say, have engaged in on-and-off trade discussions at various points this month on trade frameworks that would feature the Hornets’ Dorian Finney-Smith and the Hawks’ Buddy Hield.” Fischer also reported that Atlanta has been looking for a way to move Hield’s contract all summer, while adding, “It remains unclear whether an agreement will be struck before training camp.”
Atlanta has a clear reason to look at Finney-Smith. The Hawks are loaded with guards and secondary wings, but their frontcourt depth took a hit when Mouhamed “Mo” Gueye suffered a foot injury in July. Jackson Caudell of Sports Illustrated explained the situation by writing, “Ascending forward Mo Gueye suffered a foot injury in July that is expected to sideline him for 3-4 months, a timeline that would have him sidelined to start the season. The Hawks are loaded in the backcourt, but they don’t have a physical forward to soak up minutes behind starters Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu… DFS could fill that role if the Hawks move on from Gueye before the season.”
Finney-Smith could give Atlanta a veteran option at forward while also adding defensive versatility. The 6-foot-7 wing has experience defending positions 2 through 4 and was a key perimeter defender during Dallas’ 2022 playoff run. He also started 20 games for the Lakers during the 2024-25 season.
His recent numbers, however, tell a different story. Finney-Smith averaged only 3.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 37 games for Houston last season. He played just 16.8 minutes per game, a career low, while making 27 of his 100 three-point attempts.
There is some important context behind that decline. Finney-Smith underwent ankle surgery in June 2025, and his recovery affected his offseason conditioning. His role in Houston also shrank, and he was placed on the inactive list multiple times before being sent to the G League for conditioning in January.
The shooting drop was still significant. Finney-Smith shot 41.1% from three across Brooklyn and the Lakers in 2024-25, including 39.8% in 43 games with Los Angeles. His career mark is 35.9%, making last season’s 27% an obvious outlier.
Charlotte, meanwhile, has a different reason to consider the move. The Hornets acquired Finney-Smith from Houston in July along with three second-round picks, but their roster is being built around younger players such as Brandon Miller, Coby White and rookie Kon Knueppel. At 33, Finney-Smith does not fit that timeline as naturally as a younger piece would.
Hield would also give Charlotte a very different offensive weapon. He owns a 39.5% career three-point percentage and has built his value around high-volume perimeter shooting. For Atlanta, though, Hield’s role has fallen as its backcourt became crowded.
There is also a financial hurdle. Finney-Smith is set to make $14.1 million in 2026-27, while Hield’s salary is $9.66 million. Caudell noted, “Yes, Hield and Finney-Smith could be swapped straight up, but it would put the Hawks slightly over the luxury tax, and they would still need to move one more player before the regular season. Under the current ownership group, the Hawks have not paid the luxury tax, and I would not expect them to start doing so this season.”
For Finney-Smith, an Atlanta move would be his sixth NBA franchise and his fifth team change since leaving Dallas in February 2023. But with the potential move coming roughly three years and seven months after that first trade, calling it his sixth team “in three years” would be a stretch.
For now, the talks remain preliminary. Whether Atlanta can turn an unwanted backcourt contract into the frontcourt help it needs, while staying below the luxury-tax line, could determine whether Finney-Smith has another new home before training camp.