NBA Trade Rumors: Mavs Interested in Dinwiddie
Here at DallasBasketball.com, we’ve examined the fits and discussed the possibility of the Dallas Mavericks adding one of Jrue Holiday or Victor Oladipo.
Matt Moore of the Action Network reinforced those ideas with his report on Tuesday:
But after a year where the Mavs exceeded expectations and Luka Doncic flirted with serious MVP consideration, they are in a position to pursue an upgrade, and sources around the league believe they are.
Specifically, there is thought to be interest from Dallas in Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo, Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie and New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday. All indications that they’re looking for a wing upgrade to pair with Doncic.
But wait a second... Spencer Dinwiddie? That’s a fresh name added into the mix, and a very interesting one at that.
READ MORE: Mavs NBA Rumor Donuts: 'Flood Of Deals Expected'
Dinwiddie is a big 6-5 guard who is more than capable of potentially being the ‘third star’ next to Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis in Dallas. Last season, Dinwiddie averaged 20.6 points, 6.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds for the Brooklyn Nets. And although he might not be the defender Holiday is, he’s still able to hold his own on that end of the floor.
It became painfully obvious in the Mavs playoff series against the Clippers that the team needed a secondary playmaker to take some of the pressure off of Doncic. Dinwiddie gives you that immediately, while also being able to put in 20 points per night and get to the free-throw line often.
The only area of concern with Dinwiddie is his shooting percentages. Last season, he shot just south of 42% from the field and 31% from deep. As a team that just recorded the best offense in NBA history, you’d love to see an uptick in those percentages if Dinwiddie did end up being traded to Dallas. If there’s one thing we learned last season, though, it’s that Doncic makes everyone he plays with better, and there’s no reason to think that wouldn’t be the case when it comes to Dinwiddie’s shooting.
Brooklyn has made it known that re-signing Joe Harris is the team’s top priority this offseason. With Harris about to be paid, and Dinwiddie due for a pay raise soon (he’ll make $11.4 million this upcoming season and has a player option for $12.3 million next offseason), the Nets might be looking to move on from him.
We’ve talked about a lot of different players this offseason with the same goal in mind each time — does this move make the Mavs better ‘now’? The Mavs themselves are asking this question with every player they inquire about. Put Spence Dinwiddie in the ‘yes’ column.
