Evaluating Spencer Dinwiddie as a fit for the Hornets

It's no secret that the Charlotte Hornets need as much talent as they can get. It's been nearly a decade since the franchise last saw the postseason, and their franchise star LaMelo Ball has yet to see one second of playoff action.

It's clear that the new ownership and front office are aware of both of these things, and want it to change. Rebuilding a team takes time, time that the Hornets are lucky to have. They have an extremely young squad, with Miles Bridges being the oldest starter at 27 years old.

President of Basketball Operations Jeff Peterson has addressed needs to start the offseason. He had an extremely strong draft, selecting two players in each round: Kon Knueppel and Liam McNeeley in round one, and Sion James and Ryan Kalkbrenner in round two. He's also made several trades, sending away Mark Williams and Jusuf Nurkic, while bringing in Collin Sexton and Pat Connaughton. While he's not been incredibly active to start free agency, he brought back Mason Plumlee on a one year, $3.6 million deal.

The Hornets still have the non-taxpayer MLE, valued around $14 million a year, and the bi-annual exception, projected around $3.3 million a year. It means that their free agency is likely not done yet. The team only has a few free agents, and the guy they just re-signed, Tre Mann, is coming off a back injury in November, which held him out for the remainder of the season. Shams Charania, however, reported that the guard was cleared for offseason activity last week.

They need front-court play. Tidjane Salaun is currently the only true power forward on the roster, and the center rotation is currently Moussa Diabate, Ryan Kalkbrenner, and Mason Plumlee.

Nick Smith Jr, Josh Green, and Josh Okogie (whose guarantee deadline was pushed back to July 15), are likely all trade options for the Hornets to acquire that front-court help. If Smith Jr is traded, the Hornets may be looking for guard help again.

A player that could fill the Hornets needs is Spencer Dinwiddie.

Dinwiddie, 32, averaged 11 points per game last season on 41.6% from the field and 33.4% from three. He saw his role increase after Kyrie Irving went down with an ACL injury in early March, averaging 33.2 minutes a game, scoring 13.9 points while adding 6.6 assists and 1.1 steals. He still was not incredibly efficient, but did close the season shooting 43.4% from the field.

At this point in his career, Dinwiddie is a backup guard.

Three-point shooting is not a strong part of Dinwiddie's game, shooting 33.4% from three last season. He shot 34.1% on catch-and-shoot threes and 37.5% on "wide-open" threes. Bringing in Dinwiddie would not be for his shooting, but for his skills with the ball in his hands.