10 Dream trade targets for the Timberwolves (and what'd it cost to acquire them)
By Austin McGee
7. Dorian Finney-Smith
What it'd cost: Young player or a rotation player and second-round draft capital
Next, comes O'Neale's Brooklyn teammate, Dorian Finney-Smith. Part of the Net's vast collection of 3-and-D wings, Finney-Smith has also been made available before the NBA trade deadline. As many as six teams are reportedly after the 30-year-old forward.
Similar to O'Neale, Finney-Smith is a low-usage, quality defender capable of knocking down multiple 3-pointers per game. This season, the Nets' wing is averaging 9.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.1 3-pointers per contest.
His usage rate is also similar to his Brooklyn teammate, at 13.5 percent, he's only 0.2 percent higher than O'Neale. The trend continues even further, almost 98 percent of Finney-Smith's triples come from assists. He's never had a season below 95 percent.
When assessing Finney-Smith's defensive capabilities, he's also a plus on the less glamorous end. Although, this Nets' forward is a tad more versatile than his Brooklyn counterpart. At 6-foot-7 with a nearly 7-foot wingspan, the Florida product is comfortable defending all five positions.
Of the 10 players he's spent the most time defending this season, two are centers, four are power forwards, and the remaining four are all small forwards.
Finney-Smith's defensive chops are also better than the aforementioned O'Neale's. Overall, his opponents are shooting 4.2 percent worse when Finney-Smith is the primary defender. Of all forwards to defend five or more shots at the rim per game, the Nets forward is the fourth staunchest rim protector. His opponents shoot five percent worse against Finney-Smith at the rim.
Prying the veteran wing from Brooklyn will be objectively tough. It's already been reported that the Nets turned down two firsts for Finney-Smith's services. Minnesota would likely have to part with Naz Reid and multiple second-rounders to acquire the 3-and-D forward.