The Russell Westbrook blockbuster could have impact ripples that reach north all the way to Brooklyn.
The Wizards are reportedly eyeing Spencer Dinwiddie, with the Nets free agent point guard potentially in the mix to get moved in a sign-and-trade.
While Washington shipped Westbrook to the Lakers, joining LeBron James and Anthony Davis in a Big Three to rival Brooklyn’s, the deal could have other implications for the Nets. Kyle Kuzma and Montrezl Harrell could be rerouted to the Nets in order to acquire Dinwiddie, according to BetMGM.
After the Nets finished their draft, general manager Sean Marks was predictably coy about any potential trades. But he was full of praise for Dinwiddie, who has recovered from a partially-torn ACL in the third game of this past season and averaged a career-high 20.6 points the year before.
“It’s difficult to discuss the hypotheticals. It sounds like you know more about the upcoming trades and so forth than I do,” Marks said jokingly when asked about the purported deal. “But we’ve been focused on the draft right now.
“Spencer obviously being a pending free agent, we’ll have to wait for the right time to talk to him and talk to his agents and his people, and we’ll figure out what’s best for both Spencer and the Nets. And if there’s something to be done where he’s returning, terrific. If there’s not and he’s moving on, look, we wish Spencer all the best. He’s been nothing but a pro his entire time here and to be quite frank, he deserves the right to be a free agent.”
Dinwiddie became a free agent by opting out of the final $12 million year on his contract. He has openly said while he would re-sign if the Nets offered him five years and $125 million, he feels his comps are the four-year, $85 million deals that Malcolm Brogdon and Fred VanVleet got.
Marks wouldn’t openly hazard a guess on Dinwiddie’s market. But he sure sounds like he knows it will be fairly high.
“Well, I think that gets back to the work that Spencer has put in,” Marks said. “I can’t tell you what his market is going to be. I can hypothetically have a stab at it. But the good thing for him is he’s likely in line for generational money and he deserves it. He’s put in a lot of work and we obviously are very happy for anybody that’s done that, and deservedly so.”
Marks gushed over departing assistant Mike D’Antoni, who stepped away from his assistant job and won’t be part of the team in any capacity.
“He was an amazing and is an amazing, amazing coach, and even better individual,” Marks said. “Our time here with Mike and learning from him over the past year was incredible what that what he brought to our group was absolutely terrific. We all know how close Steve [Nash] and Mike are. And he brought a dimension to our group that we will certainly miss, without a doubt.
“But we wish him well. We wish his family well in whatever their endeavors. Look, they’re always welcome back around the Nets, around us. But I think for the time being, as Mike’s mentioned to us, it’s family first. He’s enjoying his family, his wife, Laurel, and we and we wish them well.”
Centers Jeff Green and Blake Griffin are both unrestricted free agents. Despite the Nets drafting North Carolina’s 6-foot-11, 265 pound Day’Ron Sharpe in the first round, Marks said he wants to re-sign both 30-something veterans.
“I think those guys have done an amazing job for us and would love to bring them back. Love them to be around,” Marks said. “I think that’s something we’ll just have to see how everything settles next week when we’re able to really get in front of everybody and see where it settles.
“But for what those two brought to our organization, not only on the court, what you guys didn’t see is behind the scenes, both the consummate pros, amazing in the locker room and a pleasure to be around. I can’t speak high enough of either Blake or Jeff and what they [brought], not only what hopefully their time was great but our time with them and what we learned from them as well.”
