Apr 9, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Spencer Dinwiddie (26) and guard Max Christie (00) during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Mavericks guard signing with Charlotte Hornets

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated Jul 2, 2025 2:51 PM ET

NBA free agency opened on Monday evening, allowing teams to start negotiating with players. The Dallas Mavericks only had one open roster spot, quickly reaching an agreement with guard D'Angelo Russell on a two-year deal. Dallas desperately needed to add guard help, with Kyrie Irving projected to be out until at least January.

Part of the reason they needed to add guards to the roster was that two were free agents: Dante Exum and Spencer Dinwiddie. There remains mutual interest between Exum and the Mavs to get a deal done if they can free a roster spot.

Meanwhile, Dinwiddie has decided to move on, as ESPN's Shams Charania has reported that Dinwiddie will be signing a one-year deal with the Charlotte Hornets. Dinwiddie played a much bigger role than he was expecting to play when he signed, as he filled in for Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving plenty of times due to injuries and trades, averaging 11 PPG and 4.4 APG last season.

The Hornets have two former Mavericks on the roster already in Josh Green and Grant Williams, and they could still bring back Seth Curry to make it four. They have a lot of guards now with LaMelo Ball, Tre Mann, Collin Sexton, and Nick Smith Jr, while also having KJ Simpson on a two-way deal. Unless they believe Smith, Mann, or Sexton are better as shooting guards, this is an interesting addition for the Hornets.

Charlotte was a bad team last year, going just 19-63. Unfortunately for them (but good for the Mavericks), they had some bad lottery luck, landing the 4th overall pick, which they used on Cooper Flagg's college teammate Kon Knueppel.

This article first appeared on Dallas Mavericks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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