The Los Angeles Lakers are a team that Spencer Dinwiddie decided to join with because “they know how to win.” Additionally, the 30-year-old guard will trigger a very special bonus in his contract if they surpass their current 28-26 record and add an 18th title later this year.
Dinwiddie will be eligible for a $1 bonus if his decision to join with the Lakers results in a championship ring.
That’s accurate. a single, complete dollar.
Why the strange requirement? Dinwiddie claims that it all started with the three-year deal he agreed to after the Washington Wizards traded for him in 2021. Since the Wizards had not advanced past the third round of the playoffs since winning the NBA Finals in 1979, and because of the low expectations surrounding the team each year, the bonus was added in jest.From then on, Dinwiddie and his agent decided to try to hold onto that incentive for any further contracts.
Now that I’m a member of a team that truly hopes to win a championship, people ask me, ‘Why in the world would you give one dollar?’ However, it’s more about the relationship I have with my agent than it is about money,” Dinwiddie stated on Monday, as reported by ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
Dinwiddie’s notion that seemed a little strange is not the only one. When he signed his deal with the Wizards back in 2021, he claimed the NBA turned down his offer to spend $12 million to have a cryptocurrency patch placed on the team’s jerseys.
During the trade deadline last week, Dinwiddie was traded by the Brooklyn Nets to the Toronto Raptors. The Lakers signed him for the remaining $1.55 million of their non-tax mid-level exception for the 2023–24 NBA season after he was waived by the Raptors. On Saturday, he cleared waivers.After recovering from a fractured jaw, Garland has not impressed with his performance in eight games, putting up 12.8 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 5.9 assists. Although 10.1 shots at 48.1% from the field during that time period is a respectable efficiency, it is a low volume for a player who averaged 16.4 shots per game in the previous season and is only averaging 14.4 shots in 28 total appearances in 2023–24.
Since returning from injury, Garland has made just 27.8% of his 4.5 three-point attempts per game, which is dragging him down. Another reason for Garland’s low output is that Donovan Mitchell, who has been Cleveland’s offensive leader and best player all season, has had an outstanding campaign. Even as a sidekick, Garland’s fantasy ceiling is capped by Mitchell’s presence, but the sadness surrounding this situation presents a strong buy-low chance for the player, who most likely has better days ahead of him.
After shooting 454 threes at a 38.3% clip in 2021–22 without Mitchell, Garland blasted a career-high 41.0% of 412 threes with Mitchell in the previous season. As an illustration, consider how unsustainable his current three-point percentage of 32.9 is. This season, Garland’s dribble jumper has performed well, with an efficiency rating in the 79th percentile throughout the league. The 24-year-old’s off-ball shooting has been the weakest part of his game; he is making only 29.6% of his catch-and-shoot attempts this season, compared to 42.3% last season.
In general, catch-and-shoot attempts are simpler than off-the-dribble tries since shooters can be positioned and ready rather than having to move or create looks on their own. Garland may be an exception to this rule because rhythm and use are what drive his play and he is a lead ball handler by nature. His shooting background is still too good, in my opinion, for him to fail. This pattern is highly consistent with the theory that Garland is seriously adjusting to Mitchell becoming Cleveland’s undisputed alpha.
Garland made three or more three-pointers on Monday for the first time since his injury comeback. Going future, more is due for him. His playing time has been steady, and in the last stretch of the season, his workload ought to resemble his previously reported season volume. If he doesn’t reach his potential of 14 or more shots per game, Cleveland’s strong offence and winning habits make it a nice place to play fantasy basketball.In his two games with the Knicks thus far, Bogdanović has had mediocre performances, putting up 26 points and seven rebounds on 23 shots made in 56 minutes of play. He would ultimately be able to score close to the 20.2 points per game averaged across 28 games for Detroit in New York. In an offence led by Jalen Brunson, that may seem absurd to suggest, but Brunson is currently out of support.
I’m afraid of Julius Randle’s absence because his shoulder dislocation has no known timetable and is prone to aggravation. The Knicks will undoubtedly want to go cautiously after OG Anunoby underwent elbow surgery during the season, especially because they paid a large sum of money to acquire him and plan to re-sign him. Bogdanović’s increasing productivity is most likely to be caused by Donte DiVincenzo’s hamstring injury sustained in Monday’s loss to Houston.
It’s unknown if DiVincenzo will miss a significant amount of time during the All-Star break, but at the moment, he is the Knicks’ greatest shooter. In his last seven games, Brunson has shot just 10-for-39 from beyond the arc, which is unusual for him. Meanwhile, in his last ten games, DiVincenzo has exploded for 40.5% shooting on 12.1 threes.
In New York, Bogdanović’s shooting ability can play a significant role even if DiVincenzo is healthy when he returns from the All-Star break. It could be that Jalen Brunson’s enormous workload is getting to him. Bogdanović leads the league with 374 catch-and-shoot attempts, and his 38.5% three-point percentage puts him in the 59th percentile. The picture below further illustrates how crucial DiVincenzo was to the offence: Although Hield has scored 67 points in three games with the 76ers, it may seem counterintuitive to invest in him, but I don’t think his acquisition price is so high as to take away from the reality that he will be in a position to succeed in the closing minutes. It might be wise to trade for Hield two fantasy rotation players or include him in a bigger transaction.
Alongside Tyrese Halliburton, Hield’s signature ability to screen on the perimeter and sneak out of screens to get open shots for himself was what made Indiana’s offence so effective. Tyrese Maxey is a lot less impressive than Haliburton when it comes to young point god status, but his downhill driving ability and Hield’s gravitational spacing make for a lovely Yin-Yang in Philadelphia.
In Indianapolis, Hield was able to concentrate on his shooting speciality by playing with Haliburton. But in the 37 games that Hield played for Indiana while Tyrese Haliburton was sidelined, he finished with 13.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.2 steals in 28.1 minutes per game. When called upon, he has demonstrated secondary facilitating, and Philadelphia is in dire need of him.Miami is in serious trouble. The best-case scenario for Terry Rozier following his terrifying experience on Sunday, where he almost broke his right knee, is that he is only out for the week with a sprain. As a result of Josh Richardson’s shoulder dislocation during Sunday’s game, the Heat will have a shorthanded rotation for several weeks.
Let’s introduce Jaquez, who in eight outings during a 25.8-minute span has averaged just 7.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.0 steals since returning off a six-game layoff due to a groyne injury. Over that time, the youngster has only shot 35.6% from the field. While hitting the infamous rookie wall is possible, it seems more reasonable to take Jaquez to win.The 22-year-old has more experience than the typical rookie in battling ups and downs after playing four years of NCAA ball at UCLA. Before sustaining his injury, Jaquez played a significant part in 25 games for coach Erik Spoelstra, displaying confidence and averaging 16.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in 34.0 minutes per game.
He fits in well with Miami’s rotation because of his dynamic ball movement, youthful athleticism, and two-way play. Jaquez is currently at a great buy-low junction. It’s unclear if he can maintain his early-season success—a rookie putting up 51.3% from the field on 10.6 shots per game is a high bar.Last week, Evan Fournier’s miserable tenure with the Knicks finally came to an end when he was traded to the Detroit Pistons along with Quentin Grimes and other players in exchange for Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks.
The 31-year-old broke John Starks’ single-season team record for three-pointers made (241) in his debut season in New York after being acquired in a sign-and-trade with the Boston Celtics. However, things didn’t get any better after that.
During the first 13 games of the 2022–23 season, Fournier played an average of 20 minutes per game. However, as Tom Thibodeau searched for solutions for his failing team, Fournier was immediately benched and dropped from the starting lineup. After making just 27 appearances, he went on to criticise the team and the head coach in the offseason, claiming he was being “held hostage” and wishing he had more opportunities.
That opportunity did not materialise, despite a solid performance in the 2023 FIBA World Cup; as of this year’s trade deadline, he had played in just three games.
It was becoming more and more clear that the tiny forward was heading out the door, with only a club option left on his contract. Fournier is appreciative of the change of environment now that it is official.
When he eventually left New York, he told reporters during Monday’s practice, “I’m really excited.” “As soon as I got traded they called me and said they’ve been trying to have me for the last couple of seasons now, so I’m looking forward to the opportunity.”
Even though there was some animosity during the four-year agreement and things didn’t exactly go as anticipated for either party, Thibodeau had nothing but admiration for the dissatisfied forward.
According to the head coach, “He did a good job for us,” Newsday. “I am aware that he had difficulties. Although he had a fantastic season for us, we felt he was a genuine excellent fit when we signed him. However, a team’s strengths can shift.
“You must always act in the team’s best interest; occasionally, this means benching players. It isn’t about whether you like a guy or not. All you need to do is act in your team’s best interests. I wish him luck in Detroit and I have nothing but admiration for him.”
The 12th-year veteran is prepared and eager to support the youthful club in any way he can, but it is unclear how or if Fournier will fit into the rotation with the Pistons in last place.
“I’m not sure what my part is, but I’m just going to be myself and get ready like I’m playing. I still need to get to know the guys, but I’ll be happy to assist them if I can based on what I observe.”
