HOUSTON, TEXAS – SEPTEMBER 29: Dorian Finney-Smith #2 of the Houston Rockets speaks with the media during the NBA Media Day at Toyota Center on September 29, 2025 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images)
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Rockets free agent signing Dorian Finney-Smith still remains out following left ankle surgery the forward underwent in June 2026. Per reports, there is still no timetable for Finney-Smith’s return.
Finney-Smith, 32, was signed to a four-year, $52.71 million contract this past offseason, a deal which will pay him $12.7 million this season and an average salary of $13.17 million over the life of the contract. The fourth year of the contract, 2028-2029, carries a player option, when Finney-Smith will be 35. At the time of the signing, the deal was considered to be a surprise and a bargain for a player of Finney-Smith’s abilities. At 6’8, he’s the prototypical ‘3&D’ wing, having shot 36.2% from long distance over his nine-year career, but 39.8% last season, and 41.1% and 43.5%, respectively, in each of the previous two seasons. It was believed that Finney-Smith would be the perfect complement to a Rockets rotation building around the talents of Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, and Kevin Durant, on a team with a clear defensive identity under head coach Ime Udoka. Finney-Smith was expected to fill in for defensive standout Dillon Brooks, traded in the offseason to acquire Durant.
Finney-Smith’s absence from the lineup places the Rockets in a bit of a quandary. The team’s wing depth is currently suffering following an oblique injury incurred by forward Tari Eason, expected to be sidelined for four to six weeks.
The more interesting question is what happens when Finney-Smith and Eason eventually return. Forward Josh Okogie, signed at the veteran minimum this offseason, has emerged as a viable contributor for Udoka, inserted into the starting lineup on Game 3 of the season. And sophomore guard Reed Sheppard, the third pick in the 2024 draft has exploded as one of Houston’s most potent offensive weapons. It doesn’t seem that Sheppard’s minutes will be reduced anytime soon and it seems unlikely that he’ll be pulled from the starting lineup.
There will be a minutes crunch and the matter is further complicated by Eason’s contract status, given that extension talks stalled prior to the deadline to reach an agreement on the first day of the season. Would the Rockets deal one of Finney-Smith or Eason at the deadline? That will be an interesting storyline to watch.