The Dallas Mavericks clearly believe their chances for on-court success this season and going forward don't rely on Kristaps Porzingis. Almost immediately after shipping him to the Washington Wizards in one of the most shocking moves of a frenzied trade deadline, though, the Mavs clarified their additional justification for moving their former franchise pillar: financial flexibility.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Dallas agreed to terms on a four-year, $52 million extension with Dorian Finney-Smith in wake of shedding Porzingis' onerous long-term contract.

Finney-Smith would've otherwise been a free agent this summer, with the Mavs potentially struggling to re-sign him while also managing Jalen Brunson's foray into free agency. But they have the opportunity to clear future salary after Thursday's trade, and acquired longtime rumored target Spencer Dinwiddie from the Wizards, too, a potential replacement for Brunson should his market prove too expensive come July.

Dallas also got Davis Bertans in the deal, giving Jason Kidd another frontcourt floor-spacer to help compensate for Porzingis' absence.

Finney-Smith, undrafted in 2016, has since developed into a cog for the Mavs, providing crucial lineup flexibility and solid individual defense on star wings. His numbers are down across the board offensively compared to last season, but Finney-Smith has nevertheless continued establishing himself as a legitimate three-point threat in 2021-22, knocking down 36.3% from beyond the arc on career-high volume.

Dallas, fifth in the Western Conference at 32-23, is still surging after a rough start to the Kidd era, owning the league's third-best net rating since the New Year, per NBA.com/stats.