The Rockets and Hornets have agreed to a trade that will send forward Dorian Finney-Smith and three future second-round picks to Charlotte, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).

According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link), the three second-rounders headed to the Hornets in the deal are Memphis’ 2027 pick and Houston’s own picks in 2028 and 2033.

The Rockets made Finney-Smith a top priority during the 2025 free agent period and landed him on a four-year deal worth nearly $53MM. However, his first and only season in Houston didn’t go as planned.

The 33-year-old took longer than expected to recover from offseason ankle surgery and wasn’t his usual self when he did eventually return, averaging just 3.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.0 assist in 16.8 minutes per game across 37 appearances, with an ugly .333/.270/.889 shooting line.

Finney-Smith had been repeatedly identified in recent weeks as a trade candidate and the Rockets ultimately found a taker for his $13.36MM salary, though they’ll have to give up three second-round picks to move off that contract, which is non-guaranteed beyond the 2026/27 season.

More to come…