Spencer Dinwiddie Chose To Sign With The Mavericks Over Returning To The Lakers

The Dallas Mavericks have completed their roster after signing Spencer Dinwiddie to their final open roster spot. The former Mavericks guard is returning to the franchise after a season-and-a-half away, with Dinwiddie choosing to sign with the Mavericks instead of returning to the Los Angeles Lakers, according to Shams Charania.

"This is a big pickup, especially late in the summer, for the Mavericks to pick up Spencer Dinwiddie. He's already shown he can be ideal next to Luka Doncic. The Lakers have had an interest in all these plays and had an interest in bringing Spencer Dinwiddie back. They have a little bit of a roster crunch with the 15 roster spots."

The Lakers' offseason has been marked by a complete inability to make room for new signings on their roster or even convince them to look at their team as a marquee destination.

Klay Thompson already chose to turn down more money from the Lakers to sign with the Mavericks this summer. The franchise also refused to offer starting spots to the likes of Buddy Hield and Gary Trent Jr ., who signed with other franchises. They didn't even make a proper run at signing DeMar DeRozan and now have lost Dinwiddie to the Mavericks as well.

This isn't a signing the Lakers should lose sleep over, as Dinwiddie wasn't an impact player for them last season. He was used out of position to be a 3-and-D player, averaging 6.8 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists over 28 games with the Lakers.

He now returns to a Mavs team where he'll be a major piece for them off the bench, similar to what he did while playing a crucial role in the Mavericks' run to the 2022 Western Conference Finals.

Spencer Dinwiddie Chose The Lakers Over Mavericks In The Winter

This isn't the first time in 2024 that Dinwiddie has had to choose between the Lakers and Mavs, with both teams aggressively pursuing him as a buyout market player. Dinwiddie chose to go with the Lakers instead of the Mavs at the time, giving a bizarre justification for his decision .

“Let’s say you’re a kid and you get your ass whooped by the bully. Dallas would have been like your mama, like, ‘It’s OK, baby.’ … Lakers are like your dad: ‘Nah, you better go out there and fight ‘til you win.’”

That was the wrong move for Dinwiddie, who has realized he needs to return to the team where he was successful. He averaged 17.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 4.9 assists in his one-year stint with the Mavs over two seasons, joining the team in February 2022 in the Kristaps Porzingis to Wizards trade and leaving the team in February 2023 when the Mavericks acquired Kyrie Irving .

He'll hope for a seamless fit into the Mavericks, who have plenty of faces he remembers including coach Jason Kidd and franchise superstar Luka Doncic . Dinwiddie was a great offensive complement to Doncic and can thrive as a bench guard in the familiar system, likely playing over Jaden Hardy.

Related: Proposed Trade Sends Julius Randle To The Dallas Mavericks: A New Big 4

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