Hawks acquire Finney-Smith for Hield, Nembhard

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 29: Dorian Finney-Smith of Rockets warms up before the NBA playoffs game 5 between Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets at the Crypto.com Arena on April 29, 2026 in Los Angeles, California, United States. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images) | Anadolu via Getty Images

This trade has been rumored about extensively, as I detailed earlier this week.

Now, the final details have come in with the Hawks adding in a player they acquired earlier this offseason for money purposes:

Welcome to the A, Dorian Finney-Smith! pic.twitter.com/1x8w5TTOW5

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) September 23, 2026

From the Atlanta Hawks:

The Atlanta Hawks have acquired forward Dorian Finney-Smith from the Charlotte Hornets, in exchange for guards Buddy Hield, Ryan Nembhard and cash considerations, the team announced today.

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Hield was acquired by the Hawks on Feb. 5, 2026, from the Golden State Warriors, along with Jonathan Kuminga, in exchange for Kristaps Porzingis.

Nembhard was acquired by the Hawks on July 19, 2026, from the Dallas Mavericks, as part of a three-team transaction.

Finney-Smith is a veteran 3-and-D forward who can play multiple positions and provide defensive versatility. He’s coming off a season with the Rockets where he only managed 37 appearances due to a left ankle surgery last offseason.

He is owed around $14.2 million for this season with his next season’s $13.3 million figure completely unguaranteed. Hield and Nembhard make a combined total of around $11.8 million meaning the Hawks pushed themselves up towards the luxury tax line — but in the process they did shed $3 million in future money.

If Finney-Smith can rediscover his form he showed in previous stops in Dallas and Brooklyn, he could be a very valuable bench contributor.