It was about as perfect of an NBA trade deadline day as the Dallas Mavericks could've hoped for on Thursday. Not only did they address two huge frontcourt needs by acquiring P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford in separate trades with the Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards, respectively, but they also got a 122-108 win over the shorthanded New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden to finish off a 3-0 east-coast road trip.
As great as Thursday was, though, there could still be a significant move to be made on the buyout market soon, as former Mavs guard Spencer Dinwiddie was traded from the Brooklyn Nets to the Toronto Raptors and received a contract buyout.
The 10th-year veteran, who is reportedly being pursued by the Mavs , Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans and Philadelphia 76ers, made waves on social media last night, as he was seen sitting near the Mavs' bench in MSG and talking with Mark Cuban as well.
"I would just like to ask everyone to have some patience," Mavs head coach Jason Kidd said when talking about his team's trade deadline moves. "Because anytime you add two new pieces, or maybe three new pieces, it takes time to get a rhythm and to understand each other. But we're very excited to have those two."
That Kidd mentions "maybe three new pieces" is interesting, especially when considering that Dinwiddie was in attendance and chatting it up with Cuban and others. Dinwiddie played the best basketball of his career in Dallas, averaging 17.1 points and 4.9 assists while shooting 46.6 percent overall and 40.4 percent from deep – both career-highs. He was a key contributor to the Mavs' 2022 Western Conference Finals run with his most notable performance coming in the second round. In a Game 7 against the top-seeded Phoenix Suns, Dinwiddie scored 30 points to help the Mavs close the series out.
Not only does Dinwiddie have familiarity and previous success with the Mavs, but he's also been teammates with Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn and newly-acquired Mavs center Daniel Gafford. Despite all those things giving the Mavs an edge when it comes to potentially signing Dinwiddie, the fact that he's from Los Angeles and has family there is enough to make the Lakers a legitimate threat to sign him as well ... not to mention just the general draw of L.A. in general, as well as the potential recruitment from LeBron James.
Dinwiddie will clear waivers on Saturday, so we should find out soon what his decision will be. After addressing their frontcourt needs, the Mavs could still use another reliable, familiar ball-handler coming off the bench, and Dinwiddie would be the perfect guy to assume that role given his previous history with the team. DallasBasketball.com will provide updates on this situation as we receive them.
More must-reads: