Spencer Dinwiddy signed with the Charlotte Hornets and calls it his second stint rap with the Dallas Mavericks.
Heading into the 2025 NBA offseason, the Dallas Mavericks had to find a point guard to serve as the stopgap for the injured Kyrie Irving. They added Dangelo Russell to free agency and effectively pushed Spencer Din Widdy out.
Unlimited free agent Dinwiddie was successful as a backup and starting guard in his second stint against Dallas. He eventually signed a one-year contract with the Charlotte Hornets, and will be traded this season from the busy Hornets backcourt.
Russell’s Mavs signature was cake icing, but it was long clear that Dinwiddie had no future in Dallas.
Dinwiddie started 11 of Mavericks’ 20 final games of the season after Kyrie Irving tore the ACL. In that range, he averaged 13.9 points and 6.6 assists per game during that period, but only shot 33% from the deep.
Still, for an injury replacement, it’s really all you can ask for.
Despite his success, the Mavericks made it clear that they would not rely on him.
He only played two minutes when he won the Sacramento Kings in his first play-in tournament game.
The next game in the Mavericks’ must-see contest with the Memphis Grizzlies was a trip to the Line’s playoffs, winning just four minutes.
In both games, he didn’t score any points.
In both play-in games, Dallas did not start point guard and chose Naj Marshall and Klay Thompson’s backcourt.
But Brandon Williams and Dante Exm both play big from the bench, with both players signing up until next season, making it very clear that MAVS plans to move on from Dinwiddie.
Dinwiddie agreed to a one-year contract with Hornets and took part in a busy security rotation.
Between Dinwiddie, Lamelo Ball, Tre Mann, Nick Smith Jr. and Collin Sexton, the Hornets have five players capable of performing offenses.
Charlotte has Ball, Brandon Miller, Concnoupelle and Musadiabate, and Charlotte has a young core that continues to build. Dinwiddie, 32, doesn’t fit the timeline at all.
The Hornets will likely turn both Dinwiddy and Sexton upside down at the deal deadline for raw young people or future draft capital. Neither commands the first round of value, but the Hornets have the means to add them and hope to get the return on their investment.
Dinwiddie has won a veteran minimum of $3.3 million with Charlotte, making it easier to sign later this year.