Subscribe
Follow Us
Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie is opting out of his $12.3 million contract for the 2021-22 season, and he's ready to get paid. Dinwiddie isn't ruling out a return to the Nets, but he's definitely going to keep his options open as he looks for a situation where he can both get a lot of dough and get the playing time he wants.
There have already been rumblings about him going home and joining either the Los Angeles Lakers or Los Angeles Clippers. However, there will be other suitors, with Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News reporting the Dallas Mavericks' interest in Dinwiddie. Winfield also notes other reports suggesting the Miami Heat as another top suitor for Dinwiddie's services.
Dinwiddie didn't play much this season due to a torn ACL. He was hoping to return late in the playoffs, but the Nets lost in the second round to the Milwaukee Bucks after both James Harden and Kyrie Irving got hurt. The 28-year-old was cleared soon after that.
The guard out of Colorado enjoyed a career season in 2019-20 with Durant out and Irving missing a good chunk of the season. But with the Nets now employing a Big Three, there aren't as many opportunities for Dinwiddie, and they might not want to pay him what he wants to stick around (he suggested five years, $125 million). He's a good insurance policy given the injury concerns, but it would be a costly one.
The Lakers and Clippers don't exactly have much salary cap flexibility if they pursue Dinwiddie, with a sign-and-trade bringing its own set of complications because of the hard cap that would be triggered. The Mavs and Heat could open up a good amount of cap space if they want to do so, giving them an opportunity to make lucrative offers.
Spencer Dinwiddie's free agency will be a fascinating one to watch.
