As the Brooklyn Nets prepare for the offseason after losing in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals to the Milwaukee Bucks in heartbreaking fashion on Saturday night, one player who may not be on the roster next season is guard Spencer Dinwiddie. The 27-year-old is expected to decline his $12.3 million player option this summer, making him an unrestricted free agent, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Dinwiddie was sidelined a majority of the season, including the entirety of the playoffs after tearing his ACL just three games into the regular season. It was a significant blow for a Nets team that relied heavily upon Dinwiddie last season when All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving was limited to just 20 games due to various injuries.
By declining his player option, Dinwiddie's taking a chance on the open market to secure a longer, more lucrative deal either with the Nets or another team around the league.
Prior to his injury, every franchise in the league would've jumped at the chance to get a guard like Dinwiddie on the roster, especially after putting up 20.6 points, 6.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds last season while spending a majority of the time in the starting lineup. But now, there may be some hesitancy to offer him a lucrative deal coming off an ACL injury to his right knee, especially given the fact that he also tore his ACL in his left knee while in college.
If Dinwiddie is able to bounce back and put up similar numbers to what he produced last year in a more prominent role on another team, however, then he would be a steal for the right price. There's also the option that the Nets could negotiate a new deal with the guard and bring him back next season. Brooklyn certainly could've used Dinwiddie during the playoffs as Irving and James Harden missed time.
