Spencer Dinwiddie Reveals Reasons for Signing with Lakers Over Mavs

Spencer Dinwiddie was a target of the Mavs' free agency pursuits after the Raptors waived him before signing with the Lakers.

DALLAS — Spencer Dinwiddie became the top buyout target after being traded from the Brooklyn Nets to the Toronto Raptors before being waived. As a free agent, his choice came down to the two teams, with him signing with the Los Angeles Lakers over the Dallas Mavericks. 

Dinwiddie signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Lakers and explained his free agency decision with reporters after his first practice with the team on Monday. He leaned on his family to work through the different scenarios 

"It was like a five-and-a-half hour flight, and I spent most of that flight talking to my parents, who were on the plane with me, and one of my friends. We were working through all the different pieces. And we were like, 'OK, if we get there and the vibe seems cool ...' Obviously, I got to talk to [D'Angelo Russell], got to talk to Taurean [Prince], got to talk to [Christian Wood]. People that I've played with. Rui [Hachimura]. You know? Rui's excitement to see me felt good. Just things of that nature."

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When breaking down why he chose the Lakers over the Mavs specifically, Dinwiddie compared the two teams to being parents, with Dallas being the mother and Los Angeles being the father, sharing contrasting advice after dealing with a bully. 

"Obviously, it's a new situation. Whereas ... I'll give y'all something funny that I told my people because I'm fairly candid," Dinwiddie said. "The two situations kinda felt like this, right? Let's say you were a kid, and you got your ass whooped by the bully. Dallas would've been like your momma being like, 'It's OK, baby. Don't worry about it.' Lakers are like your dad: 'Nah, you better go out there and fight till you win.' And I just felt like that was what I needed at the time. So I'm a big believer in kind of doing what you need to do at whatever time it is. So that's how I felt about it."

Another element of Dinwiddie's decision that he highlighted was how Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka called him first before any other team did.  

"One of the things that was on my radar was that Rob was the first call, and that matters," Dinwiddie said. "I have a history in Dallas. There were several other teams that inquired as well, but it did come down to those two."

With LeBron James and Anthony Davis among other players, Dinwiddie is confident the 28-26 Lakers have the chance to do damage in the postseason, but acknowledged the appeal of realizing a childhood dream as a Los Angeles native was something he valued in the decision-making process. 

"Looking at the team set up, and the way I can possibly come in and make an impact and try to help the team with mentorship, being home, and a childhood dream come true," Dinwiddie said. "A lot goes into that, but really having a chance to help the team win. It's just a special place."

The role Dinwiddie will set out to fill involves an emphasis on generating rim pressure and locking in defensively using his size and length on the perimeter. 

"Get downhill, provide rim pressure, point of attack defense, also wing defense depending on the lineups, switchability there, just come in, be aggressive, set a tone, play with high IQ," Dinwiddie said. "Remember, in this situation, it's about plugging in more than dominating by yourself, right? So that that's the intent."

Dinwiddie embraces the pressure to perform and the target on the back that comes from being a Laker. He highlighted how the team has managed to win big games, including the NBA's inaugural in-season tournament. 

"Essentially, you see a team when everything's on the line, they can rise to a level that no other team can get to," Dinwiddie said. "Obviously, they won the in-season tournament and have played big-time basketball the past several years. Sometimes, it's hard to maintain that throughout the season, but they know how to win at the end of the day. 

"Every night that I get somebody's best shot just because of the name that's on the front of the uniform, and then, you have arguably the greatest player of all time on the floor as well," Diwiddie explained. "A lot of people are going to give him personally their best shot as well."