The marriage between Spencer Dinwiddie and the Washington Wizards has been a bumpy ride. The team is 24-29, Dinwiddie and Bradley Beal aren’t clicking and Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus notes that the Wizards are open to moving Dinwiddie before the NBA trade deadline.
Although he’s having a rough season, Dinwiddie has been a reliable point guard in years past. He gets inside off the dribble, shoots off the dribble and is a savvy passer. Still 28, Dinwiddie can be an impactful starting point guard elsewhere.
Here are three ideal trade destinations for Spencer Dinwiddie.
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3. Oklahoma City Thunder corral another first-rounder in Spencer Dinwiddie trade
- Thunder get: Spencer Dinwiddie and Washington’s 2026 first-round draft pick
- Wizards get: Isaiah Roby, Derrick Favors, Oklahoma City’s 2022 second-round draft pick and Washington’s 2023 second-round draft pick
What do Sam Presti and the Thunder do best? Take up NBA headlines by capturing first-round draft selections in random trades. They can do precisely as such by acquiring Dinwiddie.
Both teams make this trade with the long game in mind. Oklahoma City turns a pair of second-rounders into a more valuable first-rounder. While a talented forward, Roby likely doesn’t have a long-term future in Oklahoma City, anyway. In the meantime, Dinwiddie can be part of the second unit’s backcourt and start in a pinch.
The Thunder can attempt to move Dinwiddie in the offseason to open up cap space and potentially add another first-rounder for an eventual blockbuster trade or two.
- Spencer Dinwiddie stats (2021-22): 12.6 points, 5.8 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game while shooting 37.6/31.0/81.1
A lot could change for the Wizards over the next six months, meaning Roby could carve out a role for himself in head coach Wes Unseld Jr.’s rotation. They bring down payroll, look to reroute Favors before the deadline or in the offseason and get a young player to experiment with.
All that said, the Thunder may prefer to not add a burdensome salary and a player who will likely take on a high-minute role, which would take away invaluable playing time from their young players.
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2. Spencer Dinwiddie gives the Boston Celtics their new point guard
- Celtics get: Spencer Dinwiddie
- Wizards get: Marcus Smart and Boston’s 2022 second-round draft pick
The Celtics are playing better of late, and Smart can supposedly be had in a trade. A move for Dinwiddie is worthwhile for their sake.
Boston doesn’t have a set-in-stone point guard of the future, as Dennis Schroder is an impending free agent and their rotation has been all over the place over the last two seasons. Dinwiddie would at least be the Celtics’ answer for the foreseeable future. A proven scorer in his own right, Dinwiddie would help find Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in their hotspots.
Dinwiddie would thrive as a secondary scorer with few eyeballs on him. He can play to his strengths and be both a dangerous and effective scorer who won’t get in the way of Tatum and Brown. Dinwiddie fits into Boston’s defensive-minded, halfcourt ways. He’s also a more versatile offensive threat than Smart. In the aftermath of this move, the Celtics can trade Schroder to the highest bidder.
- Spencer Dinwiddie contract per Spotrac: first season of a three-year, $54 million deal
Boston can send Washington Smart, who would be a plausible facilitator and defender next to Beal. Washington also acquires Boston’s next second-rounder. Washington’s payroll is hardly impacted, as it gives the backcourt a new look.
The factor that could stop the Celtics from acquiring Dinwiddie, though, is them wanting to move Smart for cap space and/or draft picks, as opposed to executing an essential one-for-one swap.
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1. Spencer Dinwiddie to the Dallas Mavericks
- Mavericks get: Spencer Dinwiddie and Washington’s 2027 first-round draft pick
- Wizards get: Jalen Brunson and Dwight Powell
Brunson and Dorian Finney-Smith are playing on expiring contracts. Surely, Dallas wants to keep both players, but it’s difficult to envision them being able to do so. Plus, Tim Hardaway Jr. is likely out for the season with a fractured foot, which puts their championship hopes behind the eight-ball to begin with. Acquiring Dinwiddie in a multifaceted trade with Washington makes sense for Dallas.
Dinwiddie becomes head coach Jason Kidd’s immediate point guard, where he takes Brunson’s role. That is to say, a point guard to share ball-handling duties with Luka Doncic, who tends to act as a point forward. If Dinwiddie gets back on track, he beefs up a Mavericks team that’s trying to advance past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since their 2011 run to the NBA Finals.
Dinwiddie can be an effective, off-the-ball scorer who is a better option for the Mavericks than Brunson for at least this season given the proven nature of his game. Concerning the other elements of this trade for the Mavericks, they have the interior depth to replace Powell’s minutes and they get a much-needed future first-rounder.
This trade ensures that the Mavericks’ 2022-23 point guard is in the building. From Dinwiddie’s perspective, he goes from a monotonous Washington team to an aspirational Dallas team.
Brunson, who presumably re-signs with Washington in the offseason, could be the Wizards’ point guard of the future regardless of what the future holds for Beal. They make this trade to get younger, get out of Dinwiddie’s contract and try something different — again. It’s a win-win for both teams.