Lakers News: Free Agent Spencer Dinwiddie Leaves for West Rival

The Lakers are losing a role player point guard.

Apr 25, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Spencer Dinwiddie (26) moves the ball ahead of Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun (0) during the second half in game three of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Unrestricted free agent combo guard Spencer Dinwiddie, who signed with his hometown Los Angeles Lakers to close out the 2023-24 season after being traded to the Toronto Raptors and quickly waived, is now ditching L.A. for greener pastures.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the 6-foot-6 guard is returning to the Dallas Mavericks on a one-season deal. Terms of the agreement have yet to be divulged. As Charania notes, Dinwiddie played a big role on the club's 2022 Western Conference Finals-bound squad. Dinwiddie was flipped to the Mavericks from the Washington Wizards as part of the team's deal to offload center Kristaps Porzingis midway through the 2021-22 season. He was subsequently part of the deal for Dallas to acquire All-Star Kyrie Irving from the Brooklyn Nets the next season.

During his second season in Dallas, 2022-23, Dinwiddie averaged 17.7 points on a .455/.405/.821 slash line, 5.3 assists, 31. rebounds and 0.7 steals a night across 53 contests.

An alum of Taft High School in Woodland Hills, the Colorado product had a miserable offensive run with the Lakers in 2023-24 as essentially a replacement for Gabe Vincent, who had missed most of the season with a left knee effusion and was essentially rehabbing that injury while playing through it in the postseason.

Across 28 regular season games for Los Angeles (four starts), Dinwiddie averaged 6.8 points while slashing .397/.389/.880, 2.4 assists, 1.7 rebounds, 0.5 steals and 0.5 blocks. His output got more minimal during the playoffs, when he saw his minutes cut to just 14.6 as Vincent took on more of a role and Dinwiddie's jumper abandoned him. He averaged just 3.0 points on a .357/.250/.500 slash line, 1.6 assists, and 1.4 rebounds.

Dinwiddie's departure isn't exactly a major surprise. With Vincent expected to be healthy next season, it makes sense that he will return to at least a reserve point guard role ahead of Dinwiddie. Vincent is a better point-of-attack defender, and though his offense abandoned him, too, last year, the Lakers are no doubt hoping he can right that ship next year.

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