NBA Trade Rumors: Washington Wizards looking to move 8-year veteran; reports suggest his teammates 'don’t want him'
Washington Wizards' Spencer Dinwiddie's stay in the nation's capital seems to be coming to an end as the Wizards are trying to move on from the guard.
According to Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer, the Washington-based team are eager to move Dinwiddie away from their books, and are actively looking to trade him elsewhere. O'Connor said:
"The Wizards want to move Dinwiddie because he looks like a shell of his former self, and his teammates don’t want him there."
The likes of the LA Lakers and the LA Clippers, along with a host of other NBA teams, are actively looking to recruit a guard, and Dinwiddie could fit the bill.
This season, Dinwiddie is averaging 13.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.7 assists while shooting the ball at better than 31% from beyond the arc and more than 38% from the field. These aren't eye-catching numbers by any means. Interestingly, less than a year ago, Dinwiddie was pursued by the Lakers.
The player has two more years left on his contract after the end of the ongoing season. His contract is worth a little over $36 million as he pushed for an exit from the Brooklyn Nets franchise over the summer.
“The Wizards want to move Dinwiddie because he looks like a shell of his former self and his teammates don’t want him there.” 😬
- @KevinOConnorNBA on Spencer Dinwiddie
(Via theringer.com/nba/2022/1/31/…) https://t.co/s7s2fTAifS
How far can the Washington Wizards go this season?
This season, the Wizards lost Russell Westbrook in a trade to the Lakers that saw the former acquire Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. So there was not much expectation this season from the franchise.
However, the Wizards are currently the 11th seed in the Eastern Conference, and are just four games behind seventh seed Charlotte Hornets. They have a 23-26 record on the season, having lost their last five games. However, with the likes of Bradley Beal and Kuzma, the Wizards could make a late push to get into the postseason.
Stay hot, @kylekuzma! 🔥
#DCAboveAll https://t.co/LYIVj2WWea
The Washington Wizards are currently 22nd in the league in terms of offensive rating. Questions have been raised about head coach Wes Unheld Jr. despite these being early days into his tenure. The rotations of the team, especially, have been intensely scrutinized.
Defensively, the Wizards aren't any better either, as they are ranked 21st in the league. They have struggled all season when guarding the paint, allowing over 48 points on a nightly basis to opponent teams.
The Washington Wizards are seemingly going nowhere at the moment. They are not tanking in order to rebuild but also not surrounding Beal with the right pieces to make some serious noise in the Eastern Conference.