One of the top names to keep an eye on in free agency for the Los Angeles Lakers is Spencer Dinwiddie. The Brooklyn Nets guard’s contract is expiring and he’s free to go to whatever team he likes. Considering he’s from Los Angeles, California, it’s logical that he may end up back home.
As fate would have it, it’s possible the Lakers will have a need at point guard depending on what happens with Dennis Schroder, who is also a free agent. During the last season Dinwiddie played and was mostly healthy, he averaged 20.6 points a game for the Nets. He played all but three games this season before tearing his ACL.
It has been been a long road to recovery but the veteran guard is looking healthy now. He posted a photo of him playing basketball again on Instagram and proclaimed that he is the best point guard in free agency.
There are a number of notable things about this post. First of all, it doesn’t sound like Dinwiddie is all that interested in returning to the Nets as he’s already teasing his upcoming free agency. Also, Chris Paul, Kyle Lowry and Schroder are just a few of the point guards who could test free agency and might have an argument with Dinwiddie on who is the best. Lastly, it’s clear that he sees himself as a point guard and not a shooting guard. The Nets were having him play the latter position this season while he’s been a point guard every other year.
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Dinwiddie Has Already Been Linked to Lakers
If the Lakers are interested in Dinwiddie this offseason, they’ll have an advantage over most other NBA teams. According to Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News, the guard is looking to come home to Los Angeles.
“Home is the preferred destination,” a source told Winfield. “But he wants to secure his financial future, too.”
As Winfield noted, Dinwiddie wants to come home but it doesn’t sound like he’d be willing to give a discount. Coming off of a brutal injury, he’s not likely looking at a huge payday. There are ways the Lakers can afford them if they want him, especially if they decide they don’t want to bring back Schroder.
Is Dinwiddie Better Than Schroder?
If the Lakers decide to bring back Schroder and are able to re-sign Alex Caruso, it’s not likely they target Dinwiddie, unless they plan to play him at shooting guard. Based on his Instagram post, it appears he would prefer to play point guard. It’s possible the Lakers may have to end up deciding if they think Dinwiddie or Schroder is a better fit.
Schroder is getting a bad rap right now due to his lackluster playoff performance for the team. However, he was mostly their third best player outside of a few bad nights. He averaged 15.4 points a game with 5.8 assists. While Dinwiddie is good, he’s not as good as Schroder. The latter is a better defender and 3-point shooter. He’s also really tough and doesn’t get hurt often. The problem is that he’s likely a lot more expensive. The Lakers are going to need a starting point guard next season and it could come between Dinwiddie and Schroder.
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