Desperate Dorian Finney-Smith measures serve as stark warning for Rockets

After a terrible first season with the Rockets, Dorian Finney-Smith was mercifully traded away along with three second-round picks to the Hornets on Friday. The Rockets ended up learning a valuable lesson about the danger of signing older and injury-prone role players, as Finney-Smith never amounted to much in Houston and they ultimately had to give up significant assets just to get off his contract.

The Rockets made a huge mistake with Finney-Smith

Unfortunately, the Rockets ignored Finney-Smith's previous injury history, including an ankle surgery mere weeks before inking his Houston contract last summer. Almost immediately, his recovery from that surgery turned him into a complete non-factor for the Rockets, as he ended the season only appearing in 37 games.

Despite signing DFS to a 4-year/$53 million contract in 2025, the Rockets only needed one season to realize they needed to ship him out. It took them almost no time to see how destructive an ill-advised offseason move can be, especially if it stretches out over multiple years.

The Rockets never found anyone to properly fill Finney-Smith's intended role last season as a veteran 3-and-D forward with the size to guard bigger wings. Finney-Smith himself struggled defensively compared to past seasons and only shot 27% from three, so he wasn't able to live up to that promise on either end. But the Rockets' other wings also lacked the size and/or shooting to fill that crucial gap in their rotation, which became a problem against LeBron James in the first round.

Houston might be repeating their DFS mistake

Unfortunately, Finney-Smith's abrupt departure from Houston does rightfully raise some eyebrows about the Rockets' most recent extension too. They just inked Tari Eason to a new contract that looks great on paper, but could turn south if Eason's career is also derailed by injuries. Like Finney-Smith, Eason's promise also lies in his 3-and-D capabilities but he too has struggled with injuries already in his young career.

In fact, Eason has played in just 57% of the Rockets' regular season games over the last 3 seasons. Unfortunately, his absences all stem from lower-body injuries as well, which are the most worrying kind. Houston is now locked into him for the next 5 years and $81.5 million guaranteed; if he continues to miss significant time, that deal could like a huge overpay soon.

But there is also reason to be optimistic about Eason's health. He's been able to manage his injuries better since undergoing a season-ending leg surgery in his sophomore season. Last season, Eason played in 60 games - the most since his rookie year. He's also still only 24 years old, so he should just be entering his physical prime in coming years if injuries don't slow him down.

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