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The Brooklyn Nets have a decision to make with Spencer Dinwiddie. The veteran guard suffered a partially torn ACL early in the season and is unlikely to return in time for the playoffs. He has a player option this offseason that he is expected to use to enter unrestricted free agency, and given Brooklyn's overwhelming star power in the backcourt, he is probably going to get a better offer elsewhere. But the Nets, light on trade assets after the James Harden blockbuster, could still deal Dinwiddie now to a team interested in re-signing him. In doing so, they might be able to pick up players that could help them compete for the 2021 championship. 

According to SNY's Ian Begley, the Miami Heat and Detroit Pistons are both interested in Dinwiddie. For a variety of reasons, both teams would be odd fits. Both, for example, will have the cap space this offseason to pursue Dinwiddie outright. Why give up assets for a player you might be able to sign for free if that player can't help you win now? 

The Heat have won 11 of their past 13 games and are starting to look like the team that went to the NBA Finals last season. If they plan to repeat as Eastern Conference champions, they'll have to beat the Nets in the postseason. Why would they strengthen their opponent with the sort of win-now piece Dinwiddie is likely to garner? Who would that piece even be? Perhaps Andre Iguodala in a reunion with Kevin Durant, but it seems likelier that Miami avoids dealing with its direct competition. 

The Pistons, meanwhile, had Dinwiddie for the first two years of his career. His development only truly began once he got to Brooklyn, where he became one of the NBA's better point guards. There has been a regime change in Detroit, but it's unclear how interested Dinwiddie would be in staying with the Pistons for the long haul after they traded him in 2016. 

But trading for Dinwiddie now is a potentially rare opportunity. He could theoretically be acquired for far less than the traditional price for a starting-caliber point guard due to his injury and Brooklyn's desire to win now. There are teams that should consider taking advantage of that opportunity, but on paper, the Heat and Pistons don't seem like ideal candidates to do so.