Lakers News: Impending Free Agent Hoping for LA Return

He wants to be back, but does the team want him back?

Mar 6, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk (0) takes his technical / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers will enter their biggest summer to date. While there are a ton of big decisions they must address (including the player options of two starters), the less significant signings are usually the ones that can be do-or-die when the playoffs arrive. 

We see it all the time with championship-level teams. It's the other guys that take championship teams over the hump. It's a big reason why the Lakers failed to overcome the Denver Nuggets; the others failed to step up when needed. The Lakers need to address that when the summer approaches. Although the Lakers got relatively little help from their bench, one role player hopes he gets another shot with the Purple and Gold. 

After dropping Game 5 against the Nuggets, guard Spencer Dinwiddie told reporters, including Jovan Buha of The Athletic, that he would love to be back with the Lakers next season. 

Spencer Dinwiddie said he'd love to be a Laker next season if the Lakers are interested in re-signing him.

He noted that the Lakers are a championship-or-bust organization and that big changes are likely coming in the name of building a title-worthy roster.

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) April 30, 2024

Dinwiddie signed with Los Angeles in Feb. 2024 as a free agent via the buyout market. Although it was a homecoming for the L.A. native, his play wasn't pretty. In 28 games, the 31-year-old put up 6.8 points per game on 39 percent shooting from the field, 1.7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 24.2 minutes of action. His best game with the purple and gold came on March 24, when he scored a career-high 26 points in a win over the Indiana Pacers. Outside that, Dinwiddie was medicore for the club, especially in the postseason. The guard could only tally 3.0 points while shooting 35.7 percent from the field and 25 percent from three, 1.6 assists, and 1.4 rebounds in five games. In 73 minutes of action, he only collected 15 points and committed seven personal fouls. 

Dinwiddie's time in Los Angeles may only be short-lived. We'll see how the Lakers brass approaches the veteran guard. 

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