New Orleans Pelicans: Scouting Spencer Dinwiddie, stats and contracts

The Brooklyn Nets are expected to explore trade offers for Anthony Davis this summer. The New Orleans Pelicans new front office should be scouting more than just than on-court production. Spencer Dinwiddie provides a great test case example of why.

The Brooklyn Nets are star hunting this off-season. Their young core, which Trajon Langdon helped build, earned a surprising playoff appearance this past season. The Nets were led by D’Angelo Russell, but Spencer Dinwiddie played a big part in that success.

Now he could be shipped out to make way for free agent Kyrie Irving, or sent to New Orleans in a package for Anthony Davis, of course. There’s much more substance involved in this hypothetical than just looking at stat sheets. In looking at trade offers as they would stand in three years, David Griffin and Trajon Langdon must evaluate the contracts as much as the contested shots attempted charts.

Spencer Dinwiddie (26) will have his well deserved new contract kick in next season. He has been a grinder, working his way from Detroit to Brooklyn, where it seems he has figured out his NBA game. While he might have hit his ceiling, the former second-round draft pick is still making development strides.

In his five years, he has only played more than 60 games twice. Granted, he got to 59 in his third season, his first with a rebuilding Brooklyn Nets squad. Dinwiddie played only 46 games total for Detroit over two seasons. The increased minutes and games helped Dinwiddie gain a new contract.

That contract will cause quite a debate at Pelicans Headquarters.

In the first year, Dinwiddie would carry a cap hit of $10,605,084. That would be very reasonable for a lead ball handler who would defer to Jrue and Zion. Dinwiddie could focus on protecting the ball while bringing it up the court and initiating the offense.

Dinwiddie is rarely caught pounding the shot clock away, which saves Alvin Gentry some coaching time. Jrue and Zion will be looking for the ball, and then Dinwiddie’s movement off of it. The Nets system evolved through the playoff run, with Dinwiddie showing he was capable of everything the Pelicans would be asking from him. The question is would he be awesome at it, or merely adequate.

Dinwiddie might be the most unheralded trade piece that would provide the most value. Jrue Holiday wants to play the two-guard, allowing him some offensive relief. This energy saved by allowing Jrue to play the two is released on the defensive end.

He might need it, as Dinwiddie had a negative 2.6 defensive net rating for the Nets. However, that still is not the most glaring issue in the long term.

The problem with Dinwiddie’s contract is that it spans three years max. The third year is a player option for only $12,301,898. Dinwiddie would most likely opt out for a bigger payday or more years worth of security.

Going into free agency and getting a payday at 28 is the smartest move for his retirement. The security of extra years means a lot for players going into their thirties. At 29, the Pelicans could view him as expendable, too old for the Zion prime.

In the scenario the Pelicans make a playoff appearance in the next two years, Dinwiddie would likely be a big part of that success as well. Just as in Brooklyn, he would look for a new contract with a raise over a few more years.

So the Pelicans would be forced to extend Dinwiddie at a higher cap number, just a year before Zion’s extension and title window truly opens. If Dinwiddie opts-in, that means he has only been an average player.

Griffin and Langdon could decide to part ways after two years for cost concerns or lack of production. If he leaves after two years, how much would that benefit Zion and Jrue? New Orleans would get little for him in a trade, de-valuing the Davis haul further. Those are not positive expected value moves.

Dinwiddie actually makes more sense in New Orleans if Davis stays. The Nets may land Kyrie Irving and want to keep D’Angelo Russell. Solomon Hill and a couple of second-round pick swaps might be enough. If not, add Christian Wood or Cheick Diallo. Maybe find a third partner with a late pick that would take Hill.

The contracts being traded to New Orleans for Davis can be more valuable than the players themselves. Trading a star for parts is hard enough. No team ever gets dollar for dollar value on All-NBA talent. The second wave of the Davis trade is not wasting the assets gained—doing so would devalue the Davis trade haul even further.

The Davis trade demand has been one big headache. Stockpiling assets is a wonderful plan of action. Dinwiddie would be one decent asset in a Brooklyn Nets package of players and draft picks. However, the Pelicans need to have a plan attached to those assets once in New Orleans. Failing to do so will cause a lot of small headaches.

Those should be avoided at all cost in the Zion era, we would not want any future trade demands. This third time hitting the star jackpot could be a Crescent City charm. There will be no second chances.