Getty Dennis Smith Jr. of the New York Knicks guards Spencer Dinwiddie of the Brooklyn Nets as he dribbles the ball during the first half of their game at Barclays Center on October 25, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
The Spencer Dinwiddie saga was as protracted as it was intriguing, finally coming to an end earlier this month after weeks — months, even — of wondering where the former Nets standout would finally land.
And it only took a five-team deal that was among the most complex in NBA history for Dinwiddie’s departure from Brooklyn to be finalized.
But even now that the 28-year-old is a member of the Washington Wizards after inking a three-year, $62 million deal, fallout from the megadeal is still coming to light.
“Spencer Dinwiddie, according to a source, didn’t find the Knicks an appealing fit,” Marc Berman of the New York Post wrote in a Tuesday piece in which he delved into how and why the Knicks signed Kemba Walker.
Dinwiddie got wind of that sentiment and promptly shot it down.
“Why y’all still writing this stuff about me? I never said that,” Dinwddie tweeted in response. “I’m just happy to be on the @WashWizards.”
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Dinwiddie Weighs in on the Sign-and-Trade Process
The five-team megatrade, the first five-teamer in the NBA since 2005, was finally finalized on Aug. 4. It capped a long, arduous process that normally would have been complex — most negotiations are — but was made even more so thanks to all the moving parts and parties involved.
“(The extra two days) were terrible,” Dinwiddie told Fred Katz of The Athletic when asked about agreeing to a contract on a Monday night and having to wait 48 more hours to see if the five-team trade would work out. “They were terrible, because you gotta remember, this wasn’t just, ‘Oh, I’m going to the Wizards and we’re just figuring out the dollars.’ Is it 58 (million)? Is it 59 (million)? Is it 60 (million)? That wasn’t it. You had to get all these parties to agree, and if any of the parties say no, then the whole trade falls through.
“If the Wizards try to trade somebody for cap space but they can’t, you can’t do the deal. If Brooklyn decides that they don’t wanna agree to the sign-and-trade for their compensation package, then you can’t do the deal. If such-and-such team over here doesn’t get the draft rights or picks or whatever it is that they want, then you can’t do the deal. So, I wasn’t just even relying on Brooklyn and the Wizards to negotiate. I was relying on five, six teams. … So, it’s tough, man.”
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Spencer Dinwiddie Has Ridiculous Clause in Wizards Contract
Dinwiddie’s deal with the Wizards includes many run-of-the-mill bonuses, according to NBA reporter Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype.
Dinwiddie gets $1.5 million if he plays 50 or more games. He earns $100K if the Wizards make the second round. Another $571K if they make the Eastern Conference Finals. Another $400K if they make NBA Finals. And then there’s the not-so-run-of-the-mill bonus: If the Wizards win a title Dinwiddie gets… $1.
That’s right. One dollar.
Sources: Spencer Dinwiddie’s three-year, $62 million contract with the Wizards has several bonuses each season, @hoopshype has learned.
$1.5 million if he plays 50+ games
$571K if team makes ECF
$400K if team makes NBA Finals
$100K if team makes 2nd round
$1 if team wins title
The real kicker? Dinwiddie wants that dollar paid out in 100 pennies instead of a dollar bill, according to Katz.
The Nets will miss that quirky personality — not to mention what Dinwiddie brings to the court — in Brooklyn.
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