The Dallas Mavericks find themselves in an interesting spot as the offseason officially nears. After trading Luka Doncic in early February, the Mavs had designs on a deep Postseason run as a defensive nightmare for opponents. With newcomer Anthony Davis as Kyrie Irving’s new running mate, things looked amazing for about two-and-a-half quarters of a single game before unmitigated disaster struck. Davis re-aggravated an abdominal injury, Irving suffered an ACL injury a few weeks later, and the Mavericks came dangerously close to not having enough players to field a team on multiple occasions.
After missing out on the Postseason, the Mavs defied the odds by landing the number one pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, all but certainly making Duke star Cooper Flagg the face of the future in Dallas. His pending arrival combined with Irving’s extended absence until at least January of 2026 raises a multitude of roster-related questions for Dallas.
In this series, we’ll take a look at players from last year’s roster to debate whether they are still a fit. We’ll have a look at what they brought to the team thus far, what they can bring under the current circumstances, and whether or not it’s better to keep them (“Love Him”) or forego re-signing/seek to trade them (“Leave Him”) for more favorable assets. Kicking off the series is the sometimes-polarizing Spencer Dinwiddie.
Season recap
The 6’5 guard was in his second stint as a Maverick, ironically departing in the trade that brought Kyrie Irving to Texas, before signing back as a free agent prior to the start of last season. For the year, the 32-year-old averaged 11 points, 2.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. He shot 41.6% from the floor and only 33.4% from three, a far cry from when he shot just north of 40% from beyond the arc during his first stay in Dallas. In a season when nearly every member of the roster missed meaningful time to injury, Dinwiddie was Dallas’ iron man having logged 78 games played.
Contract status
Dinwiddie returned to Dallas last Offseason on a one-year deal worth $3.3 million, making him an unrestricted free agent.
How he fits
Dinwiddie knows the system in Dallas and remains a competent NBA player with plenty of experience. While he may not fit Mavs’ GM Nico Harrison’s ideal vision of a defensive terror, he still brings value to a roster that currently has a massive dearth of guard depth. His assist-to-turnover ratio is a healthy 3.38 and he is no stranger to being a primary ball-handler, having done that job at various points throughout his career.
Final verdict: Love Him
While he may not be the ideal candidate as a full-time starter, Dinwiddie has proven he’s both capable and available, things the Mavs greatly lack at the moment in respect of their guard position. While any number of transactions and signings may yet happen, it’s not inconceivable to believe the Mavericks will not magically create cap space or swing a big trade that nets them an obvious star guard. With that in mind, Dinwiddie represents an ideal target as Dallas looks to sure up their guard rotation. He knows both the system and the players and he would likely be as affordable as he was last time he signed. In the event he had to start or play heavy minutes to start the season, he would still seamlessly transition back to a bench role after the return of Kyrie Irving. As an affordable piece that would cost the Mavs no other assets, Dallas should bring Dinwiddie back into the fold.
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