Wizards guard Spencer Dinwiddie is hoping to validate the team’s decision to sign him by bouncing back with a strong campaign this season, Ava Wallace of the Washington Post writes.
Dinwiddie, 28, inked a three-year, $62MM deal with Washington, solidifying the team’s starting backcourt ahead of the 2021/22 season. He missed most of last year due to a partially torn ACL, but he averaged an impressive 20.6 points, 6.8 assists and 31.2 minutes per game in 2019/20.
“It’s about, like, proving the Wizards right more than anything,” Dinwiddie explained. “When somebody pays you, especially coming off an injury, even if you feel like you deserve it or are underpaid or whatever you want to call it because of the caliber of player that you feel like you are, the fact of the matter is you still haven’t played a minute post-ACL yet.
“And they’ve taken a pretty large, big bet, not just on you as a player but also on you as somebody that can co-lead a franchise and help facilitate the elephant in the room, which is hopefully keeping our cornerstone (Bradley Beal) in the building.”
There’s more from the Southeast Division today:
- Josh Robbins of The Athletic examines the chances of Wendell Carter Jr. and Mohamed Bamba agreeing to contract extensions with the Magic. As Robbins notes, teams have until October 18 to reach extensions for players entering the fourth year of their rookie-scale deals. Carter and Bamba could become restricted free agents next summer if they don’t receive extensions.
- The Heat have made multiple trades with hopes of improving their current roster in recent years, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes. Miami has sacrificed its future in many of those deals, including sending away 22-year-old Precious Achiuwa in a deal for Kyle Lowry this summer.
- In his latest “Ask Ira” mailbag for the Sun Sentinel, Winderman examines whether Lowry will unlock the team’s offense this season. Lowry averaged 17.2 points and 7.3 assists per game last season, shooting 44% from the floor and 40% from three-point range. He’s expected to start alongside Duncan Robinson, Jimmy Butler, P.J. Tucker and Bam Adebayo in a revamped Miami starting lineup.
Is there a core out there more high ceiling/low floor than this?
Beal, Dinwiddie, Bertans, Caldwell-Pope, Kuzma, Harrell, Avdija, Bryant, Neto, Hachimura.
If things go right that could very well be a top 4 team in the east, but there’s a path to things not going well with that unit too.
Definitely an intriguing team
Should be fun to watch
Don’t forget their starting center Daniel Gafford
Don’t forget their starting center Daniel Gafford
I think the Wizards have to be realistic and know the it’s very likely Beal is going to want out of you don’t make a big playoff push and that with your current team that’s not very likely.
It’s not like Beal is that young and you can just build around him and wait. He’s 28 now and probably wants to start winning and going to the playoffs and stuff.
Not that it will happen but I think Bradley Beal m for Brandon Ingram, Jaxson Hayes and a first would be a great trade for both teams.
According to some reports Zion is becoming unsettled in NO, who have a reputation of struggling to build around a young star player.
I have said countless times Ingram and Zion aren’t a good match and in this case Bradley Beal would be a much better fit with Zion. Beal would also fit well with DeVonte Graham and Valacuinas and the Pelicans would have a strong playoff team.
Washington gets back Ingram who is only 24 and is worth building around. You’d have Dinwiddie KCP Ingram Hachimura and Hayes as your most likely starters. With a load of depth including Holiday, Kispert, Avdija, Kuzma, Bertans, Harrell, Bryant and Gafford.
PJ Tucker starting for the Heat means even lower scoring production for the starting 5.What Pat Riley has not been doing well is signing veteran free agents. What he does do well is discovering and developing hidden gems and it’s my hope he has again with Yurtseven but unless they let him play instead of Rolling out Tucker Morris and Dedman we will never know.
Dinwiddie never did enough credit from Marks/Atkinson/Nets, nor did he play to the stats even when he was made starter.
Predict he will see tWizards into the playoffs.