The forward player will not implement the player option. Can he return to the Lakers next season?

According to ESPN reporter Shams Charania, sources revealed to him that Los Angeles Lakers' forward player Dorian Finney-Smith will refuse to execute the $15.4 million player option in his contract next season, and he will also become a full free agent after the free market is opened. Shams later said that several competitive teams are expected to start chasing Finney Smith on Monday local time, but there is also a possibility of returning to the Lakers.

In the middle of this season, the Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets completed a deal. The Lakers sent Tangelo Russell away and got Smith from the Nets. After joining the Lakers, Smith played 43 times in the NBA regular season, averaging 28.8 minutes per game, averaging 7.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.3 blocks, and 0.9 turnovers and 1.9 fouls. His shooting percentage was 44.2%, three-point shooting percentage was 39.8%, and free throw shooting percentage was 71.4%. During the playoffs, Smith played 5 games in total, with averaging 33.9 minutes per game, averaging 6.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.2 steals and 0.4 blocks, and 1 turnover and 3.4 fouls. His shooting percentage was 41.4% and his three-point shooting percentage was 36.8%.

Smith performed very well after joining the Lakers. He has stable offensive efficiency on the offensive end. Although his performance outside the three-point line has fluctuated a bit, he can still maintain his three-point shooting percentage at a good level. Smith's value on the defensive end is very outstanding. He has very good personal defensive abilities and can also defend against players from multiple positions of his opponent. His performance in assisting and switching defense is worthy of recognition. In the playoffs, Smith was able to maintain sufficient competitiveness. It was just that the team arranged Smith to appear in the fifth position for a long time, which also led to some decline in his performance. Judging from Smith's performance, he is still a very excellent 3D type forward player. It is reasonable for Smith to refuse to execute the player option. After all, he is 32 years old and he also needs to win the last big contract for himself in his career. Given Smith's performance after joining the Lakers and his all-roundness, we have reason to think that he can also get a long-term contract near the full middle class exception. From the Lakers' perspective, Smith's importance to the team is very prominent and cannot be demonstrated by the data. I don’t know how the situation will develop next. Will the Lakers have a chance to keep this high-quality 3D forward?