The Brooklyn Nets are beginning to figure things out as they head toward the All-Star break with a lot of momentum. Despite not having Kevin Durant in the lineup, the team is winning a lot of games, as James Harden has inserted himself into the MVP discussion. however, they could look to make some trades at the trade deadline and Spencer Dinwiddie is a name to watch.
While Brooklyn is riding high now, they know their roster is far from a finished product. They could use some more depth, as numerous main pieces to their rotation were sacrificed to land Harden in the blockbuster trade. They also lost Dinwiddie to a partially torn ACL in December, but his future with the team is up in the air.
Dinwiddie has a $12.3 million player option to decide on after the season. Given how well he had been playing in Brooklyn before the injury, it seems likely that he would opt out of that contract. That is a reason that teams are inquiring about his availability to the Nets.
According to Shams Charania of the subscription-based The Athletic, several teams have inquired about Dinwiddie to the Nets. While he has not ruled out a return later in the season, the appeal in acquiring Dinwiddie is that teams want to have his Bird rights heading into the offseason.
If a team lands Dinwiddie in a trade and he declines his player option, they would have the opportunity to offer him a five-year deal in free agency because of the Bird rights. That is something that could appeal to teams that don’t have any luck signing impact free agents during the offseason.
The Nets need to find some depth for their roster this season, and trading away Dinwiddie may be the best avenue to accomplish that.
Last season, Dinwiddie averaged 20.6 points and 6.8 assists per game helping to fill the void left by Kyrie Irving’s injury. While teams would hope that he can improve his efficiency, combo guards who can average 20 points per game in a season don’t become available too often.
Don’t be surprised if the Nets end up trading Spencer Dinwiddie ahead of the NBA trade deadline.
