Getty Spencer Dinwiddie is already working out in Los Angeles.
Potential Los Angeles Lakers target Spencer Dinwiddie is already in L.A. working out with free agency beginning in less than a month. The Nets guard’s Instagram video featuring a Lakers-themed court has some fans dreaming of Dinwiddie wearing purple and gold next season.
New York Daily News’ Kristian Winfield reported Dinwiddie’s preference is to return to Los Angeles where he is from. The challenge for the Lakers is Dinwiddie has no plans to give a hometown discount to either L.A. team.
“Spencer Dinwiddie declined the player option on the final year of his contract and will hit unrestricted free agency on Aug. 6, according to a league source,” Winfield detailed. “The deadline to make a decision on the option, worth $12.3 million, was June 20. …Dinwiddie, however, is unlikely to return to the Nets after taking a below-market-value three-year deal worth $34 million. A source told The Daily News the combo guard wants to go home, or ‘wants the bag.’”
Dinwiddie: Future Is in the Nets’ Hands
During an interview on The Crossover NBA Show, Dinwiddie noted that his future is in the “Nets’ hands.” With the Nets trading for James Harden, it appears unlikely Dinwiddie will land the kind of deal he is looking for with Brooklyn as the team tries to juggle three superstars within the salary cap.
“For all the fans that think because I opted I have to leave or something like that. No, this is very much in the Nets’ hands,” Dinwiddie explained. “You feel me? I think my full max is like five [years], $196 [million] or something like that. And nobody is sitting here saying I’m going to get five, $196, so before anybody tries to kill me, nobody’s saying that. But the Nets have the ability to do something that other people can’t. If the Nets come to the table like that and they’re being aggressive and they’re saying ‘Hey, we got five [years], $125 [million] for you.’ I would say there is a high likelihood that I go back to the Nets. You know what I mean? But if they don’t come to the table and they’re like, ‘Oh, we’re going to give you a three for $60 [million].’ Well, anybody can do that.”
Dinwiddie Has Been Fully Cleared After Recovering from an ACL Injury
There is a wide range of opinions on the kind of contract Dinwiddie will find in free agency. The Nets guard played in just three games before sustaining a season-ending ACL injury.
“I think Spencer will get high teens [annually],” an NBA executive told HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Dinwiddie has been fully cleared after recovering from a partially torn ACL. It remains to be seen whether an NBA team will be willing to give Dinwiddie the lucrative, long-term deal he is seeking.
“Nets free agent Spencer Dinwiddie has been fully cleared for all basketball activities, his operating surgeon Dr. Riley Williams says,” Charania tweeted on June 22. “Dinwiddie recovered from a partial ACL tear in just over five months. He enters free agency as one of the top point guards on the market.”