Hornets Move Dorian Finney-Smith to Hawks in Major Trade

The Charlotte Hornets are continuing to make moves this offseason, sending forward Dorian Finney-Smith to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Buddy Hield, Ryan Nembhard, and cash.

The Hornets acquired Finney-Smith earlier in the offseason in a deal with the Houston Rockets and are now moving him for veteran guard Hield and young guard Nembhard.

Finney-Smith is coming off a down season, as he averaged 3.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, and an assist per game, shooting 33.3 percent from the field and 27 percent from three. The 33-year-old will look to have a bounce-back season as a 3&D forward for the Hawks.

For Charlotte, they add Hield, who is one of the best three-point shooters in the league. He is a great fit for Charles Lee and the Hornets, as they like to get up a ton of threes. The Hornets led the league in three-point attempts in the 2026 season, averaging 16.4 per game, and shot 37.8 percent from deep.

In the 2025-26 season, Hield averaged 7.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game, shooting 43.7 percent from the floor and 34.9 percent from downtown. It was a drop in efficiency from behind the arc for Hield, who is a career 39.5 percent shooter from that range, but he could thrive in the Hornets' system.

The other player that Charlotte received in the deal is Nembhard, who showed flashes in his rookie season with the Dallas Mavericks.

Nembhard averaged 6.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 41.5 percent from the field and 35.6 percent from distance. His playmaking could make him a solid piece off the bench for the Hornets, as they could use more depth at guard after moving on from star LaMelo Ball this offseason.

Coby White will be the starting point guard for Charlotte, with Dennis Schroder and rookie Christian Anderson Jr. off the bench. Nembhard gives them another option off the bench to lead the offense as a playmaker.

The Hornets have been very active in retooling their roster this offseason around the promising building blocks of Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller.

This latest trade gives them another shooter off the bench and a young guard, who could both factor into the rotation at some point during the 2026-27 season.