The Los Angeles Lakers’ lone trade deadline reinforcement comes in the form of a buyout signing, with veteran guard Spencer Dinwiddie joining on a rest-of-season contract. Dinwiddie was traded from the Brooklyn Nets to the Toronto Raptors, where he was subsequently waived and wasted no time making the leap to L.A.
Dinwiddie and the Lakers have had some mutual interest for several years now. Every time Dinwiddie has been available as a free agent or on the trade market the last few seasons, there were rumors tying him to the Lakers.
It finally happens in a year where L.A. desperately needs another ball-handling guard next to D’Angelo Russell and LeBron James.
On the day he signed his contract with the Lakers, he and his family took a tour of the team facilities while getting his first training session in with the purple and gold, via the Lakers:
Go behind the scenes for @SDinwiddie_25’s first day ✔️ pic.twitter.com/1NjxbNPH90
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 12, 2024
The Lakers have always been an organization known for treating players and their families well. To show this, the Lakers made a custom Dinwiddie jersey for Spencer’s son, Elijah, as a way of welcoming the entire family to the organization:
Welcome to the Lakers family 🥹💜 pic.twitter.com/J0PgTizmAz
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 11, 2024
Dinwiddie figures to be a strong fit on the court for the Lakers, as his ability to handle the ball, playmake and defend at a solid level provides L.A. with that much more firepower off the bench. He also appears to be a good culture fit for the team, as the emphasis on family is something both he and the Lakers are big on.
Dinwiddie is expected to make his Laker debut on Tuesday against the Detroit Pistons as the Lakers seek their fifth win in six games.
Spencer Dinwiddie contract details
The Lakers were not only able to land Dinwiddie because of the strong fit between the two sides, they could also offer more than almost any other team because of savvy offseason moves.
L.A. did not use their entire non-taxpayer mid-level exception when they signed Gabe Vincent to a three-year contract, leaving around $1.9 million of it for the rest of the season. By the time Dinwiddie signed, he was able to do so for $1.5 million, the remaining prorated value of the MLE.
This is not something the Lakers have done in years past and have finally learned the value of doing so.
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