Spencer Dinwiddie Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Kyrie Irving Trade Notes: Durant, Doncic, LeBron, Grades

February 6th, 2023 at 8:06am CST by Arthur Hill

The Kyrie Irving trade may lead to a flurry of deals before Thursday’s deadline, but John Hollinger of The Athletic expects most teams to hold onto their first-round picks in case three of the NBA’s biggest stars become available this summer.

It’s barely been seven months since Kevin Durant‘s last trade demand, and even if he doesn’t request it, Hollinger believes the Nets may consider moving him in the offseason. Durant will turn 35 in September, and Hollinger points out that he’s the only star left on a Brooklyn team that no longer looks like a contender and may not have the draft assets to pull off a major addition.

Hollinger also expects rival teams to start monitoring Luka Doncic‘s happiness in Dallas, especially if the Irving deal backfires. He cites league executives who speculated over the past week that acquiring Irving could be toxic for the Mavericks on the theory that he could eventually cause Doncic to ask to leave, the same way James Harden did in Brooklyn when he was paired with Irving. Even if Irving turns out to be a short-term addition, Dallas parted with two rotation players plus draft capital in the deal and doesn’t have an obvious path to improve.

The third star worth watching, according to Hollinger, is LeBron James, who tweeted “Maybe It’s Me” on Sunday after seeing the Lakers miss another opportunity to add talent. James was reportedly a strong proponent of trading for Irving, his former teammate in Cleveland.

There’s more on the Irving deal:

Even though they gave up the best player in the deal, Kevin O’Connor of the Ringer believes the Nets are in a better position. Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith provide additional depth, giving the team possibly 12 players capable of handling regular rotation minutes. O’Connor adds that Brooklyn could still use a backup center and states that the organization still has interest in the Timberwolves‘ Naz Reid.
The Durant-Irving era, which began when both players signed with the Nets in 2019, will go down as a disappointment, says Adam Zagoria of NJ.com. Even after adding another All-Star by trading for Harden in 2021, Brooklyn managed to win just one playoff series. Zagoria notes that this time will always be a “what if?” for Nets fans.
Bobby Marks of ESPN considers the trade a “win-win” for both teams (video link). He argues that Brooklyn got at least one starter, and maybe two, in return for Irving, while Dallas is taking an understandable chance to upgrade its talent level.
In grading the deal, Zach Harper of The Athletic gives the Mavericks a C-plus because of the risk involved and the Nets a B, as long as the deal doesn’t alienate Durant.

Trade Rumors: Irving, Lakers, Walker, Rozier, Mavs, More

February 3rd, 2023 at 10:58pm CST by Rory Maher

Many around the league believe Kyrie Irving‘s preferred landing spot is the Lakers, according to reports from Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports and Marc Stein at Substack, among others.

Count Lakers legend Magic Johnson, formerly the team’s president of basketball operations, as a supporter of acquiring Irving.

“Personally, I’d love to see Kyrie in the purple and gold,” he said (via Twitter).

Irving, of course, won a championship with LeBron James while the two were on the Cavaliers in 2015/16. James also acknowledged Irving’s trade request, cryptically tweeting out an eye emoji and a crown.

However, the Nets are expected to be a buyer at the deadline, which could complicate matters, Stein notes. It’s hard to imagine getting equal value for Irving considering the market for him is reportedly pretty thin.

The Lakers do indeed have interest in Irving, sources tell Jovan Buha of The Athletic. The likely framework would be Russell Westbrook and their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks in exchange for Irving and Joe Harris, per Buha’s sources.

L.A. would push to lottery-protect at least one of those picks, according to Buha, who suggests a third team might have to be involved, depending on Brooklyn’s goals. The Lakers don’t have interest in trading Austin Reaves or Max Christie in a potential Irving package, sources tell Buha.

Interestingly, Lonnie Walker and Patrick Beverley could be involved in an Irving deal or in another trade in order to upgrade the rotation, Buha reports. Beverley’s inclusion is no surprise, but this is the first time this season I’ve seen Walker’s name involved in trade rumors.

Here are more trade rumors from around the NBA:

The Lakers have reportedly had preliminary talks with the Jazz regarding Westbrook, but they remain interested in Hornets guard Terry Rozier, sources tell Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.
Executives with knowledge of Dallas’ plans tell Goodwill that the Mavericks would definitely take Irving, the question is at what cost. Head coach Jason Kidd is a proponent of acquiring the star point guard, according to Fischer’s sources. Dallas has “confidence in Kidd’s coaching ability to connect with Irving,” Stein writes.
There isn’t universal agreement within the Mavericks‘ organization about adding Irving, however. Some front office members have concerns about Irving’s long-term fit with Luka Doncic, according to sources Tim Cato of The Athletic spoke to. The concern is centered on how they’d mesh in the locker room, as they have “drastically different off-court personas.”
According to Stein, the Nets are believed to be interested Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith in a potential Irving deal, but the Mavericks “would surely insist” on trying to shed the contract of either Tim Hardaway Jr. or Davis Bertans. Dinwiddie played for the Nets from 2016-2021, so they’re very familiar with him as a person and player.
The Mavericks are also interested in Hawks swingman Bogdan Bogdanovic, as “they’re desperate and determined” to get help for Doncic, says Goodwill.

Spencer Dinwiddie Earns Bonus, Guarantees 2023/24 Salary

January 29th, 2023 at 9:47am CST by Luke Adams

Mavericks guard Spencer Dinwiddie appeared in his 50th game of the season on Saturday in Utah, reaching an important contract-related milestone. As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, Dinwiddie’s 50th appearance earned him a $1.5MM bonus this season and ensured that his 2023/24 salary will now be fully guaranteed.

When Dinwiddie signed a three-year contract with the Wizards during the 2021 offseason, he was coming off an ACL tear, so his deal included some protections related to playing time.

Since Dinwiddie appeared in more than 50 games last season, he earned his $1.5MM bonus in 2021/22 as well — as a result, it was considered likely to be earned in ’22/23, so it’s baked into his $20.17MM cap hit. Dinwiddie is now assured of making at least $19.5MM this season, via his $18MM base salary and $1.5MM games-played bonus — his deal also includes some likely and unlikely incentives related to how far the Mavericks advance in the playoffs.

As for next season, Dinwiddie’s salary ($18.86MM base, $2.57MM in incentives) had previously only been partially guaranteed for $10MM. Now, his full base salary will be guaranteed and at least $1.5MM of his incentives will be considered likely.

The full guarantee for 2023/24 reduces the odds that Dinwiddie will be waived in the summer, but given the way he has played this season, that didn’t really seem like a realistic outcome anyway.

The 29-year-old has been one of Dallas’ most reliable role players alongside Luka Doncic, averaging 17.6 points and 5.4 assists per game on .464/.412/.823 shooting in 50 starts (34.2 MPG). Dinwiddie leads the Mavs in both games played and overall minutes (1,708).

Wizards Notes: Avdija, Porzingis, Kuzma, Dinwiddie

January 25th, 2023 at 5:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Wizards‘ decision to trade Rui Hachimura this week was partly motivated by a desire to create a larger role for Deni Avdija, writes Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. Avdija was a lottery pick in 2020, and Hughes notes that his importance to the team is greater than ever now that Hachimura is gone.

“When we really looked at what we needed was to get Deni more responsibility, more opportunity to play,” general manager Tommy Sheppard explained in an interview with NBC (Twitter link).

Avdija has started 30 of the 45 games he has played this season, but his numbers aren’t spectacular at 8.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists per night. Hughes suggests that Avdija may handle the ball more often with Hachimura gone, and he might see more time at power forward than small forward, which could be beneficial given his 27.5% shooting percentage from three-point range. Hughes notes that Avdija attempted just one three-pointer in Tuesday’s win at Dallas, but attacked the basket more frequently and shot a career-high 11 free throws.

There’s more on the Wizards:

The ankle injury that has Kristaps Porzingis out of action for at least the next two weeks comes at a crucial point of the season for the Wizards, Hughes states in a separate story. Porzingis is unlikely to play again before the February 9 trade deadline, and the team is running out of time to determine whether the current roster is good enough to earn a spot in the play-in tournament.
With free agency and the trade deadline both looming, Kyle Kuzma‘s future in Washington is uncertain, but he says in an interview with Josh Robbins of The Athletic that he’d gladly re-sign with the team this summer if he gets the right offer. “They showed me love,” Kuzma said of the Wizards. “They have allowed me to have a platform to show my game and show the league I’m not just a role player. I’m someone that’s arriving right now. That’s the biggest thing for me.”
Mavericks guard Spencer Dinwiddie, who was notably unhappy with the locker room chemistry during his time with the Wizards, took a shot at his former team after Wednesday’s game. “For them, it’s a showcase,” Dinwiddie told Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). “They’re over there trying to get paid, not trying to play winning basketball. For a team that has real aspirations and has an MVP, went to the conference finals last year, we have to be better to a man.” Kuzma took to social media to answer Dinwiddie’s claim after the Wizards narrowly beat the Mavs, tweeting, “The funny thing is they don’t play winning basketball.”

Western Notes: Gordon, Green, Porter Jr., Davis

December 19th, 2022 at 7:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Rockets are more inclined to deal Eric Gordon than at any point over the past two seasons, Kelly Iko of The Athletic reports.

The Rockets, who have had preliminary talks regarding Gordon with numerous teams, have more interest in acquiring a young player or a future first-round pick for Gordon than a late first in next year’s draft, according to Iko, since they already two first-rounders in the next draft — their own and Milwaukee’s pick.

We have more from the Western Conference:

Josh Green won’t return until next month from his elbow injury, he told Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News. “Doing as much treatment and working on it as much as I can, but we’re going to revisit it in another couple weeks with the training staff,” the Mavericks guard said. The 2020 first-rounder hasn’t played since Dec. 9. The Mavericks would be very hesitant to trade Green, according to Tim Cato of The Athletic, with a front office source telling him that he’s considered the team’s third-most important player after Luka Dončić and Spencer Dinwiddie.
Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., who has missed a dozen games due to a heel injury, has been upgraded to doubtful for Tuesday’s game against Memphis, Mike Singer of the Denver Post tweets. Jamal Murray, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Jeff Green are all listed as questionable.
Anthony Davis‘ foot injury is a grim development for the Lakers, who are already floundering under the .500 mark. First-year coach Darvin Ham is trying to take a positive approach, hoping Davis’ absence will benefit the team in the long run, according to Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group. “I’m looking forward to the challenge of the period of discovery,” Ham said. “When you’re missing a huge piece like A.D., it allows you to mix and match and I think people are getting caught up in him not being there but I’m looking at another opportunity to see what we have and what combinations we can throw out there so upon his return, we can have several, several different bullets in the chamber that we can use.”

Mavs Injury Notes: Doncic, Dinwiddie, Green, Kleber, Powell

December 17th, 2022 at 1:38pm CST by Rory Maher

The Mavericks will be without Luka Doncic (right quad strain), Spencer Dinwiddie (right knee, injury recovery), Josh Green (right elbow sprain), Maxi Kleber (right hamstring tear) and Dwight Powell (left thigh contusion) on Saturday in Cleveland, the team announced (via Twitter).

As ESPN’s Tim MacMahon tweets, Saturday will mark Doncic’s third missed game of the 2022/23 season, all on the second game of a back-to-back — Dallas defeated Portland last night. MacMahon points out that fans will surely be disappointed with the Slovenian star’s absence, as Cleveland has the largest Slovenian population in the U.S.

The Mavs are almost certainly just being cautious with Doncic and fellow starting guard Dinwiddie, who will miss his first game of the season.

With three starters and two primary backups out, reserves such as Frank Ntilikina, Kemba Walker, Jaden Hardy, JaVale McGee and Christian Wood should see a significant uptick in minutes against the Cavaliers.

Here are some more notes on the Mavs’ injured players:

Head coach Jason Kidd told reporters, including Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link), that Green will travel on the teams week-long road trip that ends on Friday in Houston. Kidd said he’s hopeful Green has made strides in his recovery, but he won’t play in a game until he’s at least a full practice participant.
Kidd called Kleber’s torn hamstring a “freak injury” that occurred when his knee hyperextended while dribbling in Tuesday’s practice, Caplan tweets. No contact took place during the incident. The team plans to provide an update on Kleber’s recovery “pretty soon,” according to Kidd. As MacMahon relays (via Twitter), Kidd also said that Kleber’s injury was the same as Khris Middleton‘s back in 2016 — Middleton required surgery and missed 141 days, according to Jeff Stotts of InStreetClothes.com (Twitter link). MacMahon says it isn’t certain that Kleber will require surgery, but called it a “strong possibility.” If so, there’s a chance the German big man could be out for the season, based on Middleton’s recovery timeline.
Powell sustained his left thigh contusion in last night’s blowout home victory over the Blazers, the Mavs announced (via Twitter). The starting center was limited to 11 minutes of action before exiting the contest. It’s unclear how much time he might miss beyond Saturday’s game.

Western Notes: George, Holmes, Fernando, Dinwiddie, Kleber, Popovich

November 21st, 2022 at 10:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Clippers star forward Paul George missed Monday’s game against Utah due to a right hamstring tendon strain, according to Law Murray of The Athletic.

It’s a different injury than the one the team cited when George sat out the second half of Saturday’s game against San Antonio. The reason given that night was right knee soreness.

George will be reevaluated in the next couple of days.

We have more from the Western Conference:

Richaun Holmes has fallen out of the Kings’ rotation and it may be difficult to move his contract, James Ham of The Kings Beat notes. Holmes is owed $11.2MM this season, $12MM next season and has a player option for $12.9MM in 2024/25.
Rockets coach Stephen Silas is optimistic Bruno Fernando can return to action later this week, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Fernando has only appeared in two games this season due to left knee soreness.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd expressed hope that Spencer Dinwiddie and Maxi Kleber will be available during the team’s upcoming road trip, Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News writes. Dinwiddie dislocated his left shoulder against Denver on Sunday, while Kleber hasn’t played since Tuesday due to a lower back contusion.
Gregg Popovich didn’t coach the Spurs on Sunday after meeting with the press prior to the game. Brett Brown filled in after Popovich felt ill, but doctors who examined him in the locker room pronounced him OK, Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News tweets.

Mavericks Notes: Doncic, Dinwiddie, Wood, Kleber

November 21st, 2022 at 9:21am CST by Arthur Hill

Mavericks star Luka Doncic will represent Slovenia next summer at the FIBA World Cup, according to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. Doncic has become a regular in international competitions, so the news isn’t surprising, but it was made official by Basketball Federation of Slovenia president Matej Erjavec.

“Luka confirmed his participation a minute after the game with Germany, when it was certain that we would go to the championship,” Erjavec said in an interview with RTV, the country’s national public broadcaster. “To be very honest, we were actually 99% sure already after the game against Israel and even then, it was a great joy and a reassurance at the same time. If Luka is healthy, there is no fear at all.”

Doncic has played for the national team since 2017 when Slovenia won the gold medal at EuroBasket, and he was a standout at the most recent Olympics. The 32-team World Cup will take place from August 25 to September 10 in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.

“The club, led by coach Jason Kidd and owner Mark Cuban, approves of this approach,” Erjavec added. “They approve of his participation.”

There’s more from Dallas:

Spencer Dinwiddie dislocated his left shoulder late in Sunday’s game, but he doesn’t believe the injury is serious, writes Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News. Dinwiddie got hurt when Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. collided with him on a steal attempt. He collapsed to the court in pain and had to leave the game, but felt OK in the locker room, Caplan adds. “It just popped out,” Dinwiddie said. “It’s back in. It’s all good.”
After logging 17 minutes off the bench Sunday, including just 1:54 in the fourth quarter, Christian Wood expressed frustration about his inconsistent playing time, Caplan tweets. Wood, who expected to have a regular role after being acquired from the Rockets in an offseason trade, said the coaching staff doesn’t give him an indication each night about how many minutes to expect. “I would love to play more,” he said. “I’ve voiced that several times, but I just play my role.”
Maxi Kleber remains sidelined with a lower back contusion, but there’s optimism that he can return soon, tweets Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. Kidd hopes Kleber can resume practicing on Tuesday and join the team for its upcoming road trip.

Mavs Notes: Campazzo, Ntilikina, Luka, Dinwiddie, Wood, McGee

November 19th, 2022 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

When Luka Doncic sat out on Wednesday vs. Houston, it gave backup Mavericks guards Facundo Campazzo and Frank Ntilikina a rare opportunity to see the court. Both players, who were only on the floor in garbage time in the first 13 games of the season, established season highs in minutes, with Campazzo logging 23 and Ntilikina playing 12.

Although Dallas lost the game and the duo was a combined 3-of-11 from the floor, both Campazzo and Ntilikina had positive net ratings on the night, and head coach Jason Kidd said before the game that it would be a boon if the team could rely on one or both players to help reduce the workloads being carried by Doncic and Spencer Dinwiddie.

“We’re looking for them to run the team,” Kidd said of Campazzo and Ntilikina, according to Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com. “We got to get other guys involved, especially with Spencer and LD and the load they’re carrying now. We got to find other options to get them a little rest during the game than just running those guys 40 minutes every night.”

Doncic was back in the lineup for Friday’s blowout win over Denver, so Campazzo and Ntilikina weren’t part of the regular rotation. However, the one-sided nature of the game allowed Kidd to get them on the floor in the fourth quarter, limiting Doncic and Dinwiddie to 35 and 26 minutes, respectively.

Here’s more on the Mavs:

Christian Wood earned praise on Wednesday from both his former head coach (Stephen Silas) and his current head coach. As Sefko details, Silas said he was “proud” of the way Wood has matured over the course of his NBA career, while Kidd lauded the big man for his willingness to accept a reserve role so far in Dallas. “He’s done everything that we’ve asked, he’s been great,” Kidd said. “You look at accepting his role, coming off the bench. He and Timmy (Hardaway Jr.) could easily start for us. But we felt like having those two coming off the bench is something that gives us the advantage. And C-Wood has done an incredible job.”
Even though Wood isn’t starting or finishing games, is he the perfect pick-and-roll partner the Mavericks have long sought for Doncic? Michael Pina of The Ringer explores that question, noting that the team has a 123.1 offensive rating with Doncic and Wood on the court together. That’s the 13th-best mark out of 539 duos who have played at least 150 minutes together this season.
JaVale McGee joined the Mavericks as a free agent this past summer after the team promised him its starting center job, but he was moved to the bench after just seven starts and hasn’t seen much action as of late. Fortunately, McGee is taking the demotion in stride, tweets Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News. “If they feel I shouldn’t be starting, I’ll cheer from the bench,” McGee said. “If they feel like I should start or however many minutes they think I should play, I’m going to play them my hardest.”

Mavs Notes: Powell, McGee, Dinwiddie, Campazzo, Doncic

November 5th, 2022 at 12:00pm CST by Luke Adams

As speculated, the Mavericks made a change to their starting lineup for Friday’s game vs. Toronto, replacing center JaVale McGee with Dwight Powell. Head coach Jason Kidd told reporters before the game that it wouldn’t necessarily be a permanent move.

“This is something for us to look at,” Kidd said, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link). “(Powell) has been playing extremely well. … We’ll take it one game at a time for now.”

McGee signed with the Mavericks as a free agent this past offseason after being promised the starting center job, but the team has performed better with Powell manning that spot in the early going this season. That didn’t change on Friday.

Against the Raptors, both Powell (plus-8) and McGee (plus-6) had positive on-court ratings in the same game for just the second time this season. The first time it happened, on October 22, Dallas blew out Memphis by 41 points. On Friday, the Mavs won by just a single point.

Here’s more out of Dallas:

Mavericks guard Spencer Dinwiddie alleged that veteran referee Tony Brothers referred to him as a “b–ch ass motherf—er” during Friday’s game. As MacMahon writes in a full ESPN.com story, Dinwiddie, who protested when Brothers called him for a technical foul, said that a teammate informed him of Brothers’ comment. “I’m not even mad at the language,” Dinwiddie said. “Everybody has said things before when they are upset or feeling sensitive or hurt. That’s fine. Just say it to my face. … I would like to not be called a b–ch ass motherf—er to my teammates.”
Speaking to Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News, veteran point guard Facundo Campazzo said he was close to resuming his career in Europe when he received an offer from the Mavericks. “When the Mavs’ offer came, I mean, I didn’t hesitate. I just said yes at the first question they did, and that’s it,” Campazzo said. “I was in Argentina with my family and said, ‘OK, we are moving to Dallas.’ That was a Thursday, and they asked me if I can fly Friday, the next day. I said, ‘I need a little bit more time. I have to move a lot of things,’ so we flew in that Saturday and stayed in the hotel and started this journey.”
Luka Doncic made NBA history on Friday by becoming the second player to ever start a season by scoring at least 30 points in each of his first eight games. Wilt Chamberlain was the only other player in league history to accomplish the feat, according to Caplan.