Spencer Dinwiddie plans to sign with his hometown team

Former Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie plans to sign with the Lakers after clearing waivers, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. Dinwiddie was traded from the Nets to the Raptors on Thursday, who subsequently bought him out.

The Lakers were one of a few playoff teams that offered Dinwiddie a significant role on the roster, Charania notes. Another team that pursued Dinwiddie was the Mavericks, where he previously played in 2022-23.

Los Angeles has an open roster spot, so the team won’t have to cut anyone to bring Dinwiddie in. As we pointed out, the Lakers have about $1.5M left of their prorated mid-level exception, since they didn’t sign Gabe Vincent to the full MLE, and can use that to sign Dinwiddie. Cap expert Yossi Gozlan observes the Lakers will have plenty of room beneath the tax apron for other signings, if they so choose.

Dinwiddie is averaging 12.6 points and 6.0 assists in 48 games this season. While his second stint in Brooklyn wasn’t as successful as his first, he’s been an important playoff contributor for both the Nets and the Mavericks over the past two seasons. In his last 22 playoff games over the past two years, he’s averaged 14.6 points while shooting 41.2% from beyond the arc. He’ll look to help propel the currently ninth-place Lakers into the playoffs.

The 30-year-old guard grew up a fan of the Lakers and Kobe Bryant, and playing for the team was always a dream of his, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto.

For what it’s worth, Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell already expressed he was on board with the idea of bringing Dinwiddie in and was a big fan of his, according to Jovan Buha. “Y’all will get to know him soon,” Russell said following the Lakers’ Friday game against New Orleans. Russell and Dinwiddie played together on the Nets from 2017-19.