Spencer Dinwiddie Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Nets Notes: Harden, Brown, Griffin, Dinwiddie

June 20th, 2021 at 8:58am CST by Arthur Hill

The Nets‘ plan to build a championship team around three stars was derailed by injuries, writes Malika Andrews of ESPN. Brooklyn pulled off a bold trade in January to acquire James Harden from Houston and combine him with 2019 free agent additions Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but Brooklyn’s Big Three were rarely all healthy at the same time. With the season on the line against Milwaukee Saturday night, Irving was out with a sprained ankle and Harden was limited by a strained hamstring.

“I still thought we could win it,” coach Steve Nash said. “And clearly, I think we proved tonight that we could. Game could have gone either way. You always know there’s a chance. Anything can happen. I think we just faced one too many obstacles this year. Because our guys gave everything they had.”

Harden, who hurt the hamstring in the opening minute of Game 1 and didn’t return until Game 5, revealed that he had been playing with a Grade 2 strain that limited his mobility. He missed nearly a month during the regular season with an injury to the same hamstring.

“Me, personally, like, it’s frustrating,” said Harden, who played all 53 minutes Saturday. “Just being durable and being myself for the last so many postseasons and dealing with this particular hamstring, I’m frustrated. We did everything we could towards the end. Just frustrated, but give the Bucks credit. They fought until the end, had a hell of a series. We just came up short.”

There’s more from Brooklyn:

Bruce Brown, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, expressed interest in returning to Brooklyn next season, Andrews adds. Unrestricted free agents Jeff Green and Blake Griffin both said they need time to recover before thinking about the future, but they enjoy playing for the Nets. “I’m still happy with my decision,” Griffin, who signed with Brooklyn after reaching a buyout with the Pistons, told Marc Berman of The New York Post. “This was obviously a tough loss, and not where we’re expected to be. But injuries are part of the game, things happen. Being without James for four games and then having him on one leg … (it’s) a messed up situation.”
Durant, Harden and Irving will all be eligible to sign extensions of up to four years during the offseason, notes Bobby Marks of ESPN. Brooklyn will have to determine how much money it wants to commit to the trio, and each player will have to decide whether to take the security now or seek more money when they can opt out in 2022.
Spencer Dinwiddie has until Monday to make a decision on his $12.3MM player option for next season, Marks adds. Dinwiddie has indicated that he will turn down the option and pursue free agency, and Marks believes he’ll get at least that much on the open market. The veteran guard played just three games this season because of a partially torn ACL, but his rehab has gone well and he talked about possibly playing if the Nets had reached the NBA Finals.

Dinwiddie Hoping To Return For Nets’ Finals Run

June 12th, 2021 at 11:55am CST by Eli Cohen

Spencer Dinwiddie has been out for the Nets since the first week of the season with a partially-torn ACL, but he’s hoping to make his return to the court if the Nets make it to the NBA Finals, reports The New York Daily News’ Kristian Winfield. Winfield writes that Dinwiddie, who has been rehabbing in Los Angeles at Phenom Sports Performance since his surgery, is planning to rejoin the team soon.

“He’s going to be in Brooklyn to support his team,” a source told Winfield. “He definitely is.”

The Finals are slated to begin six months after Dinwiddie’s surgery, and the Nets point guard, who has been posting his rehab process on Instagram, hopes to have the fastest possible recovery. “I think it’s been 17 weeks. What’s the fastest anybody ever returned to Bball? Lol,” he captioned a workout video in early May.

Head coach Steve Nash has preached a more patient approach.

“It’s very difficult to, one, expose him to full NBA playoff basketball with the type of injury he has. We want to look out for his long-term health, first and foremost,” Nash said in May. “And second of all, adapting back to the team environment. All those things together, it seems like it’s probably very unlikely. But who knows? Stranger things have happened.”

As of last week, Nash and Dinwiddie had not had any conversations about Dinwiddie rejoining the team. The team’s experience with lingering injuries to stars Kevin Durant and James Harden is likely to make them more cautious, though general manager Sean Marks wasn’t willing to go as far as rule his return out.

“I would never bet against Spencer Dinwiddie,” Marks said on April 16. “That’s what we saw four years ago with him. He has a chip on his shoulder, he loves to prove people wrong, so who am I to sit up here and say he’s not going to be able to do something?”

There’s also the question of Dinwiddie’s potential free agency. The 28-year-old has a player option for next season worth just over $12MM and has previously expressed his expectation to decline it and hit the open market. It’s unclear if that would play a part in his decision to push his recovery timetable up and return to action faster than expected.

Of course, the Nets still have to get past the Bucks and either the Sixers or the Hawks if Dinwiddie is to get a chance to make such a decision. They currently lead Milwaukee 2-1, with Game Four on Sunday.

Nets Notes: Harden, Green, Dinwiddie, James

June 7th, 2021 at 10:56am CST by Luke Adams

As we relayed on Sunday, All-Star guard James Harden will be unavailable on Monday night for Game 2 of Brooklyn’s series vs. Milwaukee. However, the Nets proved in Game 1 that they’re capable of beating the Bucks even without Harden, as Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today writes. Head coach Steve Nash believes all the injuries Brooklyn dealt with during the season helped prepare the team for such a scenario in the playoffs.

“We’ve had a lot thrown at us this year, so we were in a sense well-trained for this event,” Nash said. “But you never want to see someone like James who is such an important player, such an incredible player and cares so much. I’m heartbroken for him.”

As the Nets wait to see whether Harden might be able to return for Game 3, here are a few more notes from out of Brooklyn:

Jeff Green (left plantar fascia strain) has also been ruled out for Game 2, but Nash said that the injured forward is “progressing nicely” and may not be out much longer, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “I think we’ll see him in the series, and hopefully, it’s Game 3,” Nash said. “But who knows?”
According to Lewis, Nash also suggested this weekend that it still looks unlikely that Spencer Dinwiddie, who is recovering from ACL surgery, will be able to return during the playoffs. “He’s not with the team. I believe he’s rehabbing in L.A. and is doing very well,” Nash said of Dinwiddie. “(But) I’ve had no conversations about him returning to the team or even returning to play at this point.”
Mike James, who didn’t expect to play more than about five minutes in Game 1, came up big in the absence of Harden, as we detailed on Sunday. The Nets will need to continue leaning on the reserve guard until Harden is ready to return, as Paul Schwartz of The New York Post writes. “Obviously James has something going on,” James said. “So I’m basically the other point guard besides Kyrie (Irving), so I’ve got to be ready to play at least a little bit. Who knows if it’s gonna be 30 minutes again, but I’ve got to be ready to go out there and lead the team in some capacity, and be ready to contribute.”

Lakers Notes: Davis, LeBron, Schröder, Kuzma, Caruso

May 31st, 2021 at 2:43pm CST by Luke Adams

Lakers star Anthony Davis is reportedly considered unlikely to play in a pivotal Game 5 on Tuesday due to a strained groin. But even if they’re missing their second-leading scorer and frontcourt anchor, the Lakers remain confident in their ability to hang with the No. 2 Suns, writes Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times.

“There is plenty of confidence that we have now without AD. That’s not even a question for anybody in the locker room,” center Marc Gasol said on Sunday.

“It’s just gonna be more opportunity for (LeBron James) and obviously we need more guys to step up,” head coach Frank Vogel said. “Not one other guy, but everybody. It’s gotta be a group effort. We need contributions from everyone, and we did have a stretch like this where we played without AD that we’ll draw on to take us into Game 5 if AD’s not available.”

As Jovan Buha of The Athletic writes, the Lakers had a winning record (19-17) without Davis this season, including an 11-7 mark in games that James played and Davis didn’t. The club may have also discovered an effective Davis-less lineup in Game 4, as LeBron, Gasol, Wesley Matthews, Alex Caruso, and Dennis Schröder were a plus-six in seven minutes. All five of those players can make outside shots and are solid defenders, Buha observes.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

James is prepared to shoulder a heavier workload and more responsibilities if the team is missing Davis for the next game or two, as Mark Medina of USA Today relays. “These shoulders were built for a reason,” LeBron said on Sunday. “If it takes for me to put some more on top of it, then so be it. Win, lose or draw. I’m ready for the challenge.”
Rival executives expect the Lakers to shake up their roster a little if they don’t make it past the first round of the playoffs, says Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report. Dennis Schröder will be perhaps the most important free agent worth monitoring — L.A. probably can’t afford to lose him for nothing, so re-signing him or working out a sign-and-trade will be a priority.
Within the same Bleacher Report story, Fischer cites sources who say that the Lakers discussed potential Kyle Kuzma trades with teams at the deadline in March. Prior to Spencer Dinwiddie‘s ACL injury, Los Angeles inquired about a swap involving the Nets guard and Kuzma, according to Fischer.
There’s a sense among Lakers officials that Alex Caruso has enjoyed playing alongside LeBron and will be interested in re-signing with the team in free agency this summer, reports Fischer.

Spencer Dinwiddie Expects To Decline Player Option

May 13th, 2021 at 10:42am CST by Luke Adams

Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie continues to recover from a partially torn ACL and won’t have to make a decision on his 2021/22 player option until the end of July, but he sounds fairly confident he’ll be turning that option down. Dinwiddie said as much during a conversation with Shlomo Sprung of Forbes.

“I’m gonna be more than healthy by the time free agency starts, so just from a dollars perspective you kind of have to,” said Dinwiddie, whose option would pay him about $12.3MM. “$12 million isn’t market value for a starting point guard. It’s probably about half, $20-25. So obviously it’s pretty concrete that I’m gonna opt out.”

Sprung points to Fred VanVleet and Malcolm Brogdon as point guards who have signed contracts worth more than $20MM annually in the last two years. Both of those players were 26 years old when they reached free agency, whereas Dinwiddie will be a couple years older and will be coming off a major injury.

Still, Dinwiddie matches up favorably with VanVleet and Brogdon from a statistical perspective, having averaged 20.6 points and 6.8 assists in 64 games (31.2 MPG) in 2019/20. The 28-year-old also believes he’ll be fully healthy well before the 2021/22 season begins, telling Sprung that he has had “one of the more successful ACL recoveries in history and that he’s still hoping to make it back during the playoffs — perhaps in late June.

Even if Dinwiddie isn’t able to return in June or July, he doesn’t necessarily believe he has played his last game with the Nets. He tells Sprung that he’d be interested in working out a new deal with Brooklyn if and when he opts out.

“If Brooklyn wants to use my Bird Rights and sign me, I’d be thankful to be back and be able to go and try to win, hopefully, a second championship,” Dinwiddie said. “And if not, then as an unrestricted free agent you can kinda choose where you wanna go. It’s an interesting situation to be in.”

New York Notes: Dinwiddie, Nets, Noel, Harper

May 5th, 2021 at 3:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Injured Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie has been pushing all year to make it back from his ACL injury in time to contribute in the playoffs, but head coach Steve Nash isn’t counting on having Dinwiddie available in the postseason, as Brian Lewis of The New York Post writes.

“I don’t think so,” Nash said. “We haven’t seen him since the turn of the year almost. It’s very difficult to, one, expose him to full NBA playoff basketball with the type of injury he has. We want to look out for his long-term health, first and foremost. And second of all, adapting back to the team environment.”

Dinwiddie suffered a partial tear of his ACL in just the third game of the season on December 27. ACL injuries are typically season-enders, but the fact that Dinwiddie only sustained a partial tear and was able to go under the knife quickly created some hope that he wouldn’t have to wait until 2021/22 to return. While Nash didn’t rule out that possibility, he’s skeptical that the veteran guard will be part of Brooklyn’s playoff rotation.

“It seems like it’s probably very unlikely,” Nash said, per Lewis. “But who knows? Stranger things have happened.”

Here’s more on the NBA’s two New York teams:

The Nets, who have lost their last three games, don’t view James Harden‘s eventual return as a cure-all, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. Having seen Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving play together in just seven games this season, Brooklyn is still hoping there will be a chance to establish some continuity in the coming weeks, as Malika Andrews of ESPN details.
Knicks center Nerlens Noel is expected to return for Wednesday’s game vs. Denver, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Noel was sidelined on Monday after spraining his left ankle on Sunday.
Although the Knicks announced Jared Harper‘s new contract with the team on Monday as a second 10-day contract, Hoops Rumors has confirmed via a source that it was actually a two-way deal, as our JD Shaw first reported. That means no corresponding move will be necessary for New York to complete the signing of Luca Vildoza, since New York has an opening on its 15-man roster.

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Durant, Dinwiddie, Green, Pelle

April 23rd, 2021 at 9:00am CST by Luke Adams

Coming off a nice win over Phoenix on Thursday, the Celtics are set to play the Nets in Brooklyn on Friday, and both teams are a little banged up.

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said during a radio appearance on Toucher and Rich on Thursday that Jaylen Brown, who is dealing with shoulder bursitis, is sore, but should be good to go “in the next few days” (Twitter link via Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston).

Meanwhile, Evan Fournier (health and safety protocols) is going through a ramping-up process and could return to game action as soon as this weekend, per Ainge. The Celtics’ president also said that Robert Williams (knee) is “not too far away.”

Nets star Kevin Durant, who has missed two games with a left thigh contusion, is listed as questionable on the club’s latest injury report and could be available to play on Friday vs. the Celtics, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. If not tonight, Durant looks like a good bet to be back on Sunday against Phoenix.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie, who suffered a partially torn ACL early in the 2020/21 season, continues to say that he has a realistic chance of returning during the postseason, as Diamond Leung of The Athletic tweets. While that seemed unlikely at one point, there’s an increasing feeling among league sources that Dinwiddie could return before Brooklyn’s season is over, Lewis writes for The New York Post.
Danny Green‘s inclusion in a potential deal for Kyle Lowry at last month’s trade deadline didn’t make or break those talks, but the Sixers value Green as far more than just an expiring contract and were only willing to attach so many additional assets to him in their offer for Lowry, Zach Lowe of ESPN writes in a look at what Green brings to Philadelphia.
Bobby Marks of ESPN has the details on Norvel Pelle‘s new three-year contract with the Knicks, tweeting that Pelle received $500K this season (about double his minimum). The second and third years are non-guaranteed, with a team option on that third year. That option would allow the Knicks to make Pelle a restricted free agent in the summer of 2022 if they so choose.
In case you missed it, we rounded up a handful of Raptors-related notes on Thursday evening.

Nets Notes: Harden, Dinwiddie, Bigs, Jordan, Durant, Irving

April 17th, 2021 at 12:18pm CST by Dana Gauruder

James Harden has missed five games due to a hamstring strain, but Nets general manager Sean Marks said the All-Star guard should be back soon, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. “James is progressing well,” Marks said. “He’s looking forward to having at least one or two more play days, which means he’ll play 4-on-4, 5-on-5 with the group in practice. And then hopefully if things go smoothly, he’ll be out and joining the guys in a game.”

We have more on the Nets:

While it seems doubtful Spencer Dinwiddie could return from a partially torn ACL for the playoffs, Marks would not rule it out, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. “I would never bet against Spencer Dinwiddie,” he said. “We saw four years ago with him. He has a chip on his shoulder. He loves to prove people wrong.”
Coach Steve Nash plans to mix and match DeAndre Jordan, Nicolas Claxton, Blake Griffin and Jeff Green at center in the aftermath of LaMarcus Aldridge‘s retirement, Lewis relays in a separate story. “I don’t think it makes sense to just pencil something in if the matchups aren’t more favorable for us,” he said. “They all bring something different. They all have a different profile.”
Jordan’s role was reduced dramatically prior to Aldridge’s departure. He’s back in that mix now but he was never going to be a distraction, Lewis tweets. “Selfishly, individually, it’s obviously not ideal for me,” Jordan said. “But being on a team, you have to be able to sacrifice and put the team first, and I’ve done that night-in, night-out. And I’ll continue to do that.”
Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving started in the 130-115 win over Charlotte on Friday and Marks is confident his big three will be ready to go for the postseason, he said in a Sirius XM NBA Radio interview (Twitter link).

Pacific Notes: Dinwiddie, Oubre, Craig, George, Rondo

March 30th, 2021 at 6:20pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Warriors turned down pre-deadline overtures from the Nets for Kelly Oubre with Spencer Dinwiddie as the bait, Marc Stein of the New York Times reports in his latest newsletter. Dinwiddie, who is expected to miss the remainder of the season with a partially torn ACL, holds a $12.3MM player option on his contract next season. There’s been speculation he’ll opt out, which made him an attractive trade option.

However, the Warriors’ declined the Nets’ offers because they still want to make the playoffs this season. Golden State wouldn’t give up Oubre and his expiring contract unless the team got a healthy, productive player in return.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

The Suns were interested in small forward Torrey Craig last offseason, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic tweets. Phoenix acquired Craig on March 18 from the Bucks for cash considerations. After spending his first three NBA seasons with the Nuggets, Craig spurned Phoenix’s overtures and signed a one-year, veteran’s minimum contract with the Bucks during the 2020 offseason.
Paul George has been in the NBA since 2010 but he believes he can learn a thing or two from trade deadline acquisition Rajon Rondo, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN tweets. “I’m looking forward to learning from him,” the Clippers forward said. “He has one of the most beautiful basketball minds. It is going to help me down the road and evolve my game and open my game up to see the floor and read teammates better.”
Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank hated to give up Lou Williams but felt Rondo filled a crying need, Mirjam Swanson of the Orange County Register writes. Frank said the team required an “orchestrator” and “someone who can really help elevate everyone’s game.”

Atlantic Notes: Hood, Dinwiddie, Raptors, Fournier

March 28th, 2021 at 4:03pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

New Raptors shooting guard Rodney Hood is hoping to revive his career with Toronto, as Steven Loung of Sportsnet details. Hood has struggled to establish consistency since returning from a torn left Achilles tendon in December.

“Yeah, it’s been tough this year just trying to work my way back and get healthier,” Hood said as he took stock of his addition to the Raptors. “Obviously this is another stepping stone to get traded but I feel myself getting healthier, I feel like towards the end of the season I’ll be a little more back to myself but I’ve got to take time and that’s been the frustrating part about it, but I’m excited about where I’m headed.”

The Raptors have a $10.8MM team option on Hood, and while it seems likely to be turned down, his performance in Tampa down the home stretch of the season could make the team think twice.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

Nets reserve combo guard Spencer Dinwiddie still believes he can play this season, according to a Twitter conversation captured by Net Income of Nets Daily. Dinwiddie continues to recuperate from a partially torn ACL incurred in December. The 6’6″ guard, who has a $12.3MM player option for the 2021/22 season, is currently rehabilitating at Phenom Sports Performance in Westlake Village, California.
Toronto head coach Nick Nurse noted that the Raptors are hoping to add a big through the buyout market, tweets Michael Grange of Sportsnet. Though LaMarcus Aldridge, Andre Drummond and Gorgui Dieng are already off the board, Kelly Olynyk and Khem Birch could be intriguing options if their teams part with them.
The Celtics are set to net a $450K tax credit due to new shooting guard Evan Fournier not qualifying for three bonuses in his current deal, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets.