Trade deal:Lakers Turns Search Light On Kevin Looney As Golden State Warriors Agrees With Terms.
It’s NBA trade season, so it should be no surprise that the Los Angeles Lakers are in the mix. Every year, the Lakers are rumored to trade for a myriad of high-profile names. This time, it’s Brooklyn Nets point guard Spencer Dinwiddie.
Dinwiddie is reportedly disgruntled in Brooklyn, as he is being accused of coasting through games.
The former Colorado Buffaloes star is averaging 13.5 points per game, his lowest scoring numbers since 2021-22. That season marked his return from a torn ACL.
Zach Lowe of ESPN took a look at some more statistics that seem to back up those claims.
“He has attempted six or fewer field goals in five of Brooklyn’s past seven games-and only 16 2-point shots total in that stretch.
That is a point guard in name only-floating, half-present. Dinwiddie is averaging 14 drives per 100 possessions — the second-lowest rate of his career, per Second Spectrum.
His shots at the rim are near a career-low level. Both numbers are tracking down. It almost looks as if Dinwiddie is on some kind of strike.”
Perhaps the Lakers desperate need for playmakers would reignite Dinwiddie’s spark. Ironically, when Dinwiddie’s Nets played the Lakers last night, he put up a solid scoring effort. A 19-point effort on only 11 shots was enough to help the Nets win 130-118 in LA.
Dinwiddie is in the last year of a three-year, $54 million contract. If the Lakers are keen on Dinwiddie, the easy choice would be to trade D’Angelo Russell for him. Russell is in the first year of the two-year, $36 million deal that he inked with the Lakers this past summer.
Russell enjoyed his best years in Brooklyn, starring alongside Dinwiddie from 2017-2019. However, the former Buckeye is three years younger than Dinwiddie, and the Lakers may be reluctant to add another aging player to their roster.