Spencer Dinwiddie had the choice of signing with a team he is familiar with, the Mavericks, or the Lakers, and the point guard opted for the latter.
For Dinwiddie, signing with the Lakers made him step out of his comfort zone and accept a new challenge.
“Let’s say you’re a kid and you get beaten up by the bully,” Dinwiddie said. “Dallas would have been like his mom, like, ‘It’s okay, honey.’ … The Lakers are like their father: ‘No, you have to go out there and fight until you win.’ Do you understand me? I just felt like it was what I needed at that moment.”
Dinwiddie, who spent the first half of the season with the Brooklyn Nets, has struggled this year compared to his past few seasons. The veteran scored 12.6 points and dished out six assists per game with the Nets, both numbers down from last season.
Now beginning his journey with the Lakers, Dinwiddie is embracing the fight and will look to help Los Angeles secure a playoff spot.
C-WOOD WAS ONE OF THOSE WHO RECRUITED DINWIDDIE TO THE LAKERS
Dinwiddie had a group of Lakers players recruit him to Los Angeles, including Christian Wood, his former teammate in Dallas. According to Dinwiddie, it was star LeBron James who convinced him to join the team.
The Lakers were looking to add a ball handler in the buyout market, and they got just that in Dinwiddie. He was initially traded to the Toronto Raptors before the deadline, where he was released, giving him the chance to sign with the Lakers.
LAKERS AND MAVS ARE FIGHTING FOR POSITIONS IN THE WEST
The Lakers struggled in the first half of the season and currently sit ninth in the Western Conference at 28-26. They have managed to start moving in the right direction, winning three of their last four games, and are looking to continue improving with Dinwiddie now in the squad.
The Mavericks, with whom Dinwiddie played for parts of two seasons, are just above the Lakers in eighth place in the Western Conference. Accepting the deal with the Lakers means Dinwiddie will be chasing Dallas for a playoff spot.