NBA Rumors: Nets Could Trade Spencer Dinwiddie To Heat For Andre Iguodala, ‘Bleacher Report’ Suggests
With superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving expected to be healthy in time for the 2020-21 season, Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie might have to play a lesser role following his breakout 2019-20 campaign. However, a recent list of trade ideas suggested that he might benefit from a trade to the Miami Heat, where he could stand out as a more natural playmaker from the point guard position.
As explained on Saturday by Bleacher Report, Dinwiddie grew “accustomed” to handling the ball and setting up plays quite frequently in the current season, given how Durant was out for the entire year and with Irving suiting up for just 20 games. The publication’s Greg Swartz noted that Dinwiddie could still be effective in a diminished role, but if the Nets are looking for a more “supplementary” player who could help them in their quest to win an NBA championship, the team might be better off trading him to the Heat for veteran guard/forward Andre Iguodala and a first-round pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
“The 36-year-old wing is well past his prime, but he wouldn’t likely be pushed beyond his capabilities alongside KD and Kyrie. [He may be asked to] defend, move the ball and take the occasional catch-and-shoot attempt, a role he magnified as a Golden State Warrior,” Swartz continued.
Talking about how the Heat could benefit from the hypothetical deal, Swartz wrote that Dinwiddie (20.6 points, 6.8 assists per game) could give Miami a third primary playmaker, aside from forward/guard Jimmy Butler and center Bam Adebayo, who, per Basketball-Reference, are both averaging more than five assists per game. He added that the erstwhile Nets star’s presence could “supercharge” the team’s seventh-ranked offense, as the suggested move could allow them to initiate plays from multiple spots on the court.
At the moment, the Heat still have Goran Dragic, who is averaging 16.1 points and 5.1 assists off the bench but is set to enter unrestricted free agency this summer. Rookie Kendrick Nunn is averaging 15.6 points and shooting 44.8 percent from the field and 36.2 percent from three-point range, but has produced just 3.4 assists per game thus far as Miami’s starting point guard.
Although it might be interesting to see how Miami could benefit from having Dinwiddie as its new starter at the point guard position, Bleacher Report‘s Swartz cautioned that there is one caveat — his 2021-22 player option for the final year of his contract. If the 27-year-old opts in, this could prevent the Heat from making a satisfactory offer for Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo — assuming the 2019 league MVP is eligible to enter the free-agent class of 2021.
