NBA Rumors: Lakers Could Acquire Spencer Dinwiddie By Helping Nets And Wizards Facilitate Bradley Beal Trade
After successfully acquiring Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans last summer, the Los Angeles Lakers have managed to turn themselves from one of the worst NBA teams into a legitimate title contender. However, despite currently owning the best record in the Western Conference this season, the Lakers still have plenty of issues on their roster, including their need for another playmaker and shot creator. According to Jeremy Goldstein of Fansided’s Nothin But Nets, the Lakers could immediately address their backcourt problem by trading for Spencer Dinwiddie of the Brooklyn Nets this offseason.
“All anyone heard about Los Angeles this season was the lack of shot creation on the perimeter and how the team sunk offensively when LeBron James sat. Derrick Rose rumors circled to all corners of the NBA universe at the trade deadline. Enter Dinwiddie, isolation scoring expert and a Los Angeles native.”
As Goldstein noted, the Lakers could acquire Dinwiddie by helping the Nets and the Washington Wizards facilitate a blockbuster deal centered on All-Star shooting guard Bradley Beal. In the proposed trade deal, the Lakers would get Dinwiddie, the Nets would receive Beal and Isaac Bonga, while the Wizards would obtain Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen, Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Brooklyn’s 2020 first-round pick, and the right to swap first-round picks in 2023.
Dinwiddie would undeniably be an incredible trade target for the Lakers. Dinwiddie is capable of stepping up as the Lakers’ lead playmaker when LeBron James needs to rest or if he suffers an injury, or he could join him in the starting lineup when Coach Frank Vogel decides to use their main man as their starting small forward. Aside from his ability to make plays and create his own shots, Dinwiddie would also give the Lakers a very reliable option on the offensive end of the floor.
This season, the 27-year-old point guard is averaging 20.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 6.8 assists while shooting 41.5 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from beyond the arc. The Lakers may need to give up two important role players to acquire Dinwiddie from the Nets, but the departure of Kuzma and Caldwell-Pope won’t deeply hurt their rotation. The Lakers currently have Davis as their starting power forward, and still have Danny Green and Avery Bradley to cover their wing.
Meanwhile, the potential blockbuster deal would not only be beneficial for the Lakers, but also for the Nets and the Wizards. The Nets would finally acquire a third superstar in Beal to pair with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving next season, while the Wizards would receive three young and promising talents in LeVert, Allen, and Kuzma that could form the core of the next title-contending team they are planning to build in Washington.
