After erupting onto the scene as the Brooklyn Nets’ starting point guard due to the injury sustained by D’Angelo Russell, Spencer Dinwiddie enters his contract year with a chip on his shoulder.
As expected, Dinwiddie has been demoted back to his sixth-man role with Russell now fully healthy. However, instead of being fixated on the starting job, Dinwiddie says he would sign an extension if GM Bobby Marks came calling. Following from NBC Sports’ Dan Feldman:
Though it’s possible he could draw more in unrestricted free agency next summer, Dinwiddie – who has only once and only barely exceeded a minimum salary in his career – sounds open to locking in sooner. Not that he expects an offer.
“If Sean Marks calls to give me a contract extension, I’ll take it,” Dinwiddie said. “But until he does, I’m looking forward to being a free agent.”
Since being drafted in 2015, Spencer Dinwiddie has bounced around between the G-League, then between the Pistons and Bulls before finally landing in Brooklyn. Familiarity is often a rarity thus far in Dinwiddie’s career and now that he’s playing quality basketball, he likely hopes to call Brooklyn home for the foreseeable future.
But an intriguing point guard decision now awaits the Nets. D’Angelo Russell is also set to become a restricted free agent next summer. This should make things very interesting, as Russell will certainly cost more than Dinwiddie despite an injury-marred professional career thus far.
The question also remains whether Dinwiddie is capable of holding down a starting job long-term. The two could also play together for spurts next season, especially with both possessing the innate ability to be effective off the ball as well as on it.
While Dinwiddie is a consistent playmaker at the guard position, Russell boasts an exponentially higher ceiling, setting the stage for an interesting point guard battle in Brooklyn this season.
