Spencer Dinwiddie Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Lowry, Randle, Smith Jr., Dinwiddie

October 14th, 2019 at 8:04pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kyle Lowry‘s contract extension includes a base salary of $30MM that’s fully guaranteed, plus a $500K bonus if he makes the All-Star team, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. The Raptors guard officially signed his extension on Monday. Lowry will make approximately $35MM this season. He’s the first player 33 or older to sign an extension worth $30MM or more as a base salary.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Julius Randle, who signed a lucrative three-year contract with the Knicks this summer, has All-Star aspirations, as he told Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. He’ll be looked upon as a go-to scorer and facilitator as a point forward in the offensive scheme. New York hasn’t had an All-Star since Carmelo Anthony, but Randle believes he can end that drought. “I just feel like situation and opportunity. Everything I’ve been through in the past, all the work I’ve put in in the past has prepared me for this opportunity now,” Randle said. “So it’s just a goal of mine. Eventually you feel like you have an opportunity. I feel like I do.”
Knicks guard Dennis Smith Jr. wants to prove he’s a floor leader and not just a scorer, Steve Popper of Newsday writes. Smith is one of several players vying for the point guard job. “I got better at it,” Smith said. “What’s so funny is I don’t even know where the story came from that I’m trying to score all the time. I never got where that came from. I feel like this year we got some really good pieces around us for our team, some guys that can really score the ball, so I feel like it’s easy to set these guys up.”
Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie still plans to use his contract as an investment tool despite league objections, but he’s pushed back the launch date, as he detailed on his Twitter account. His original launch date was Monday but he’ll wait until opening night since he still hopes to form a partnership with the league and the NBA is preoccupied with the China controversy. “Having been on the ground in China, we are sensitive to what the NBA has been dealing with,” he said. Dinwiddie wants to enable investors to essentially buy shares of his three-year, $34.4MM contract.

Atlantic Notes: Lowry, Brown, Dinwiddie, Prince

October 6th, 2019 at 4:02pm CST by clarkcrum

Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun writes that while Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry has now spent seven full seasons in Toronto and helped the team bring home its first championship last season, the 33-year-old’s future after this season is up in the air.

Lowry will turn 34 in March, which means that Father Time will be creeping in to add some slippage sooner rather than later. Wolstat suggests that Chauncey Billups is a decent comparable to Lowry and that Billups, also a five-time All-Star, made his last All-Star appearance at age 33.

The Raptors need to add some young talent around Pascal Siakam, and Fred VanVleet, eight years Lowry’s junior, also will be looking for a new, more lucrative deal with the Raptors this summer.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston reports that Celtics guard Jaylen Brown is looking to hire an agent for the first time in his NBA career to represent him in negotiations with Boston on what Brown hopes will be a long-term deal that’ll keep him with the Celtics.
Nets point guard Spencer Dinwiddie sent out an interesting tweet in response to the NBA’s latest take on his plan to convert his contract into a digital investment vehicle. Per Marc Stein of The New York Times, an NBA spokesperson says Dinwiddie’s arrangement “remains prohibited by the CBA,” to which Dinwiddie replied, “This won’t end well lol.”
Nets forward Taurean Prince is making a case for a rookie-scale extension, especially with his preseason performance against SESI France Basquete, writes Brian Lewis of the New York Post. Prince, who has been praised all summer by teammates, led the team with 22 points. “It’s just proof that the work I’ve put in and that the coaches have put in and the things we’ve been doing as a team have been working. I’m glad we’ve been able to transfer it over to the game.”

Charania’s Latest: Dinwiddie, Zion, A. Holiday, Ayton

October 4th, 2019 at 10:28am CST by Luke Adams

Earlier this morning, we passed along a pair of reports from Shams Charania of The Athletic, who revealed that DeMar DeRozan and the Spurs are discussing a contract extension, while Pascal Siakam is seeking a maximum-salary extension from the Raptors.

Charania’s latest “Inside Pass” round-up at The Athletic includes a few more notes from around the NBA, so let’s round up the highlights…

Nets point guard Spencer Dinwiddie and the NBA met on Thursday to discuss his plan to convert his contract into a digital investment vehicle, sources tell Charania. The NBA had wanted to nix Dinwiddie’s plan, but the point guard insists it doesn’t violate the league’s CBA and intends to move forward with it. According to Charania, the league will reconvene over “potential next steps.”
With the NBA instituting a new rule requiring teams to submit accurate height measurements for their players, Charania notes that Zion Williamson‘s height was one of the more notable entries of the last week. The Pelicans‘ power forward came in at just 6’6″.
Charania points to Pacers guard Aaron Holiday and Suns center Deandre Ayton as two players who appear to be primed for big sophomore NBA seasons. As Charania explains, Holiday will take over as Indiana’s backup point guard behind Malcolm Brogdon, while Suns officials, coaches, and players have all raved about Ayton’s work ethic leading up to the 2019/20 campaign.

Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Dinwiddie, Brown, Tatum

September 30th, 2019 at 8:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Sixers center Joel Embiid dropped 20 pounds this summer in order to take the pressure off his balky knee, Brian Windhorst of ESPN reports.

“Obviously my knee was bothering me the whole second half of the season and the playoffs,” the Sixers’ star said. “But all I was thinking was what can I do make sure I don’t let my teammates down again or my team. Or the whole city basically. That was to take better of my body.”

Embiid missed 12 games after last season’s All-Star break, mainly due to knee tendinitis. The Sixers will have a load management plan for him, but he expects to play more than the 64 games, Keith Pompey of the Philly Inquirer tweets.

Embiid added that he has more trust in Sixers GM Elton Brand than predecessor Bryan Colangelo, Derek Bodner of The Athletic tweets. “With the past GM it wasn’t all that,” Embiid said.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie will meet with league officials this week to discuss his plan to turn his contract into an investment tool, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. The NBA nixed the idea last week but Dinwiddle hopes he can convince the league to reverse its ruling. Dinwiddie wanted to enable investors to essentially buy shares of his three-year, $34.4MM contract.
Celtics swingman Jaylen Brown is eligible for a rookie scale extension until opening night but he’s not fretting over negotiations, Nick Goss of NBC Sports Boston writes. “To be honest, I’m not putting too much thought into it,” Brown said. “I’m not losing any sleep over it. I think stuff like that ends up working itself out in the end, or however so. I’m just focused on this season and playing basketball. I think that’s my No. 1 emphasis. Let the chips fall where they may.” He’ll be a restricted free agent next summer if he doesn’t sign an extension.
Celtics swingman Jayson Tatum, who played for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup, is hopeful of being on the Olympic roster next summer, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe tweets. “I ain’t got nothing else to do,” Tatum said.

Nets Notes: Atkinson, Dinwiddie, Musa, Ellenson

September 29th, 2019 at 12:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Nets‘ success in free agency has changed the atmosphere around the organization, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Roughly 200 press members showed up to Friday’s Media Day, accompanied by a throng of fans who waited outside the team’s training center for a glimpse of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

“It’s like Real Madrid. I thought it was funny,” coach Kenny Atkinson said. “There’s a different excitement with the fans. I didn’t say they camped out, but there was some kind of tent there. So I drove around the other way and I came the back way the guy had my picture up. It’s just funny.”

Neither of the newly-added stars participated in the first workout Saturday. Durant will likely miss the entire season with a ruptured Achilles tendon, while Irving was sidelined by a facial fracture he suffered in an informal scrimmage this week.

“Precautionary, totally. More us just saying, we don’t want you to get another whack,” Atkinson explained.

There’s more Nets news to pass along:

Spencer Dinwiddie will proceed with a digital investment plan in his new contract even though the league considers it a violation of the collective bargaining agreement, Lewis adds in the same story. “You’ve got to think about it: If I spent just short of a year building it, you really think I didn’t read the CBA? You really think I didn’t have lawyers read the CBA? That would be outrageously stupid,” Dinwiddie said. “… So we constructed it in a way that doesn’t violate the CBA. … It’s very simple. Once the Nets pay me, that’s the end of it. If I wanted to shoot the money into deep space, technically, I could.”
Dzanan Musa was one of the top players for the Long Island Nets last season, but he tells Chris Milholen of NetsDaily that he hopes his G League days are finished. Even though he remains the youngest player on Brooklyn’s roster, Musa believes he’s ready for the NBA. “The Long Island experience was just great for me to learn American basketball,” Musa said. “I think that was great for me but I hope I am no more there. I think I am ready for the opportunity in Brooklyn and I am hoping I will take advantage of it.”
After spending time with the Pistons and Knicks, Henry Ellenson, who signed a two-way contract with Brooklyn in July, believes he’s finally with a team that will develop his skills, Milholen writes in a separate story.

Nets Notes: Dinwiddie, Chandler, Kurucs, Prince

September 28th, 2019 at 9:36am CST by Dana Gauruder

The NBA has nixed Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie‘s plan to turn his contract into an investment tool, Marc Stein of the New York Times reports.

Dinwiddie wanted to enable investors to essentially buy shares of his three-year, $34.4MM contract. He would have allowed investors, who would have paid a minimum of $150K, to bet on whether he would secure an even more lucrative contract after the second year of his deal. The NBA ruled that such an arrangement is prohibited by the CBA, since ‘no player shall assign or otherwise transfer to any third party his right to receive compensation from the team under his uniform player contract.'”

Dinwiddie plans to meet with league officials to further describe the concept and try to convince them to reverse the ruling.

We have more on the Nets:

Forward Wilson Chandler is apologetic over his performance-enhancing drug-related suspension, as he told Brian Lewis of the New York Post. Chandler was suspended 25 games by the league in August after he signed a veteran’s minimum deal with the Nets. “This has definitely affected me in a negative way, disheartening,” Chandler said. “Definitely wish I could take it back, but I can’t now, so I just try to move forward.”
Forward Rodions Kurucs refused to answer questions regarding allegations that he assaulted his girlfriend under the advice of legal counsel but he said the team has supported him during his legal battle, Lewis writes in the same story. “Yeah for sure, guys reached out. They were just so supportive. I know they have family [atmosphere] here,” he said. “So I always know that they’ve got my back and they are always here for me to talk or I can trust them 100 percent.”
Forward Taurean Prince wants to be the team’s defensive stopper, according to Billy Reinhardt of Nets Daily. Prince, a restricted free agent next summer, was acquired from the Hawks in the Allen Crabbe deal. Prince was slowed by ankle injury last season. “I think my first two years I was definitely on my way to being a great defender,” Prince said. “There was an injury situation halfway through the season – came back a little too early. I played pretty much hurt the last 25-30 games. I never made an excuse, but now I’m 100% healthy. I’m going to demand guarding every All-Star we play, every best player on the floor at every time, no matter the position.”

Atlantic Notes: Thomas, Tatum, Simmons, Dinwiddie

September 26th, 2019 at 7:35pm CST by clarkcrum

According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv, discussions between the Nets and veteran forward Lance Thomas have centered around Thomas having a regular season roster spot.

The Nets have 15 players on guaranteed deals and can add an extra player to their roster during the last 20 games of Wilson Chandler‘s 25-game suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy. When that suspension is over, however, the Nets would have to waive Thomas or someone else to get back to 15 players.

Begley adds that Thomas has a good relationship with Kevin Durant from their days together in Oklahoma City, so that will only help Thomas’ chances of staying on with the Nets should he be signed.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division tonight:

Celtics head coach Brad Stevens says that Jayson Tatum is ready to go for the opening of camp next Tuesday, telling Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald that Tatum is “fine” after suffering an ankle sprain while playing for the U.S. national team. “He’s ready to go from what I’ve been told… I don’t know if he will do anything 5-on-5 this week, but we anticipate no issues when camp starts next week. At least, that’s the latest that I got.”
The Sixers have officially announced several new hires and promotions for the 2019/20 season, including the addition of former NBA big man Roy Hibbert as the team’s new player development specialist, which was reported back in August.
Sixers All-Star Ben Simmons tells Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press that he found his love of the game again this summer. “I kind of got back to who I was and having fun with the game. I felt like the past season I lost that enjoyment side of it but I feel like this summer has been huge for me. Just the work I’ve been putting in, I kinda fell in love with putting that work in again and I’ve been in the gym every day working and the results have been paying off so I’m excited for the season to start.”
Shams Charania of The Athletic sat down with Nets point guard Spencer Dinwiddie to get some more details on how the 26-year-old is turning his contract into a digital investment vehicle.

Spencer Dinwiddie Talks Investments, Tampering, Nets’ Season

September 24th, 2019 at 10:27pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie will become the first NBA player to turn his player contract into a digital investment vehicle, giving up some future income on his three-year, $34MM+ deal in order to secure a lump sum payment up front. Dinwiddie is confident that the NBA and the Players’ Association will approve the measure.

“What are they going to do, try and stop me? I mean, they could try,” Dinwiddie said (via Brian Lewis of The New York Times). “Then they’d have to have legal standing to do so. Do you really want to do that? Because wouldn’t that be bad PR for them to do that? I would think”

Dinwiddie went on to explain that he isn’t creating a new currency. “I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel and create a new bitcoin; this is different,” he said. “… I will say this, though: It solves some of the league’s fan engagement issue. It does do that.”

The 26-year-old also touched on tampering in the NBA, something that will have new consequences for as a result of last Friday’s Board of Governors’ meeting. Dinwiddie openly wondered whether it’s a coincidence that the league’s increased focus on tampering comes after teams like his own were big winners in free agency.

“You mean when non-traditional powers like the Nets and the Clippers win?” Dinwiddie added. “What you’re saying is, if it’d been the Lakers and the Knicks that won it wouldn’t be a problem, but because it’s the Clippers and the Nets that won it’s an issue?”

The Nets landed Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in free agency this summer and Dinwiddie played a role in the recruitment. Brooklyn will have many new faces next season, including Taurean Prince, who came to the team via a trade with the Hawks.

“He’s going to be a pleasant surprise, somebody a lot of people are discounting,” Dinwiddie said of Prince. “[He] can really, really, really shoot it.”

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Korkmaz, Dinwiddie, Sixers

September 22nd, 2019 at 5:32pm CST by JD Shaw

The Knicks’ success could largely hinge on whether David Fizdale crafts a rotation that keeps both his veterans and rising stars happy this season, Steve Popper of Newsday writes.

New York shifted to Plan B in free agency this summer after superstars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant opted to sign with the Nets, inking new players Julius Randle, Bobby Portis, Elfrid Payton, Wayne Ellington, Taj Gibson, Marcus Morris and Reggie Bullock to contracts.

The team also drafted Duke standout RJ Barrett with the No. 3 pick in June, giving Fizdale and his staff plenty of competitive options to sort through as training camp nears.

“That’s going to be great for us,” Knicks forward Kevin Knox said. “To be able to compete, I don’t think anybody’s guaranteed no starting lineup, no minutes, none of that . . . Everyone is gonna have to earn their minutes, earn their position. I think that’s going to be great for us going into training camp and competing. Nobody’s got a starting spot. Everyone’s got to fight to earn their minutes and earn their position.”

New York has missed the playoffs in each of their past six seasons. The team finished at 17-65 last season, good for the worst record in the league.

Lauren Rosen of NBA.com crafts a preseason profile on Sixers guard Furkan Korkmaz, who spent most of last season sidelined due to injury. “I think next year is going to be the most important year of my career,” Korkmaz said of the upcoming season. Korkmaz holds per-game averages of 4.9 points, 1.9 rebounds and 12.2 minutes in 62 contests with Philadelphia through two seasons.
Spencer Dinwiddie is confident that the Nets could win a championship this season, led by the star he believes is the top player in the league today: Durant, as relayed by Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “He asked if I think the Brooklyn Nets will win a championship,” Dinwiddie said, explaining what question he was asked by one of the kids at a recent team-related event. “Now, listen here: I don’t make guarantees. But of course I do. … KD is the best player in the league, right?” Once Durant returns from injury, the Nets are set to sport one of the league’s most formidable cores: Durant, Irving, Jarrett Allen, DeAndre Jordan, Caris LeVert, Joe Harris, Dinwiddie and more.
Former Sixers star Charles Barkley praised the team’s top-two young stars, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, in a recent interview with Michael Lee of The Athletic. “I’m a big Ben Simmons fan,” Barkley said. “And I want him to do like Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan. Keep working on his game, become a very good shooter, because if he keeps working on his jump shot, he’s going to be one of the best to ever do it. Joel, I expect him to be in the MVP conversation. I think he got mad at me because I suggested his conditioning wasn’t up to par, which it wasn’t. I know they try to be careful with him, because he is injury-prone, and that is why I think swimming would be great for him.”

Nets Notes: Ellenson, G League, Plumlee, Dinwiddie

September 22nd, 2019 at 1:33pm CST by Arthur Hill

Developing Henry Ellenson, who signed a two-way contract with the Nets in July, will be among the top priorities for the organization’s G League affiliate this season, writes Chris Milholen of NetsDaily. Selected by the Pistons with the 18th pick in 2016, Ellenson wasn’t able to earn consistent minutes in Detroit before being waived in February. Brooklyn was interested in signing him then, but he finished out the season with the Knicks.

“I think there is definitely value,” Long Island GM Matt Riccardi said of Ellenson. “He has NBA experience. Now, Henry is a little bit younger (at 22), which is good, and he has a ton of developmental potential which we are excited about and I think it is good for everyone to see this is where we want to go and this is how we get there.”

Riccardi and head coach Shaun Fein discuss several other prospects in the article, including Deng Adel, who holds an Exhibit 10 contract with the Nets, and Anthony Brown, whose rights were acquired in a trade this week.

There’s more from Brooklyn:

The Nets are waiting to see what happens with Marshall Plumlee, who may have left basketball behind for a career in the military, Milholen adds in a separate story. Long Island still holds his G League rights, and Riccardi said the team would be receptive to Plumlee, who earned his Army Ranger pin last month, if he decides to return.
Spencer Dinwiddie tells Brian Lewis of The New York Post that he’s not concerned about predictions of regression after last season’s sixth-place finish. Dinwiddie is confident that the Nets’ offseason moves will make the team a title contender, whether Kevin Durant can return or not. “We’re definitely going to improve. We added talent across the board. But it all depends on chemistry and cohesiveness. That’s always the trouble, that’s always the elephant in the room, right?” Dinwiddie said. “Last year we were able to come together, even with injuries and in some cases kind of galvanizing the group in a sense. We’ve obviously added a ton more talent across the board. We’re a more talented team. But if we don’t come together then it doesn’t matter.”
TNT analyst Kenny Smith is also a believer in Brooklyn, according to another story from NetsDaily. Smith expects the team to contend for the East title if Kyrie Irving can remain healthy.