Spencer Dinwiddie felt disrespected when the Wizards traded him to the Mavericks, and he’s playing like someone who wants to show his former team that he’s still got it.
Dinwiddie, whose only season in Washington was cut short when the team shipped him off at last month’s trade deadline, scored a season-high 36 points in Dallas’ win over Sacramento on Saturday. After the victory, he told reporters that he was “hurt” by the way his time in Washington ended.
“I think that’s what hurt the most,” Dinwiddie said, referencing reports that he wasn’t liked in the Wizards’ locker room. “I’ve never bashed Washington. I’ve never said an ill thing about the team.”
“So to be bashed out on the way out the door hurt my feelings for sure,” he added.
Spencer Dinwiddie was balling for @dallasmavs dropping 36 PTS while shooting 50% from the field in the comeback victory! #MFFL@SDinwiddie_25: 36 PTS (11-22 FGM), 7 AST pic.twitter.com/lvgltC2xTS
— NBA (@NBA) March 6, 2022
Dinwiddie’s short tenure in Washington began with a sign-and-trade deal that corresponded with the Wizards’ blockbuster move that sent Russell Westbrook to the Lakers. He was signed to a three-year, $54 million contract despite coming off an ACL tear from the prior season.
The point guard started hot with the team, scoring 34 points in the Wizards’ second game of the season and hitting multiple clutch shots as the team raced out to a rare 10-3 start. But as the team’s performance started to decline, so did Dinwiddie’s. He rarely meshed with star Bradley Beal, and ended his stint in Washington averaging 12.6 points on just 37.6% shooting.
About two weeks before he was shipped out along with Davis Bertans in exchange for Kristaps Porzingis, Dinwiddie gave an answer about leadership that raised some eyebrows.
“It’s an interesting situation. I spoke up a little bit early on. It wasn’t necessarily welcomed. And so, like I said, I try to do whatever’s asked of me. At the end of the day, everybody has a role to play.”
Then, leading up to the trade deadline, The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor reported that Wizards players didn’t want Dinwiddie on the team anymore. The team lost eight of its nine contests before deadline day, with Dinwiddie scoring just 8.4 points per game during that span.
“You gotta remember, I won a lot of games for them. When we were 12-5 and everybody was going crazy and we had all those clutch games, I was the one hitting the game-winners,” Dinwiddie said Saturday.
TALK THAT TALK 💯💯💯@SDinwiddie_25 @fanaticsview#MFFL pic.twitter.com/jR7b7yhfuz
— MFFL (39-25) (@Mavs_FFL) March 6, 2022
“I was fighting for those guys. When the role changed and they wanted me to pass more, they felt like I was scoring a lot, I did that. I took my foot off the gas scoring-wise because that’s what they felt — the team needed to get [Kyle Kuzma] and [Kentavious Caldwell-Pope] and those guys shots. I said, ’Look, I already got paid. This is about y’all trying to get the shots that y’all need, whatever.’
“So to get kind of kicked out the door was a wild feeling. I hadn’t really experienced that before. But I still have nothing ill to say other than, yes, it hurt my feelings.”
Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. was asked about Dinwiddie’s comments prior to Washington’s game against Indiana on Sunday. Unseld said he didn’t want to get into the “accuracy” of Dinwiddie’s claim that he was asked to take a step back as a scorer, but the first-year coach did say that the Wizards “had to make a change” at the deadline.
“Bottom line, we had to make a change, but to get something we had to give up something,” Unseld said. “He’s a really talented guy, he’s playing well, he’s healthy. We look forward to seeing the benefit of that trade. It is what it is. It’s one of those things where we have to move on and get past it.”
Since joining the Mavericks, Dinwiddie has been a spark plug. Since the All-Star break, Dinwiddie, serving as Dallas’ sixth man, is averaging 22.2 points and 6.0 assists per game. Overall with the Mavericks, he’s shooting 56.3% from the floor — nearly 20 percent better than when he was wearing a Wizards jersey.
On Saturday, Dinwiddie was filling in for star Luka Doncic, who was out with a toe injury. Dinwiddie answered the call, going 11-of-22 from the field and getting to the foul line 13 times.
“So far, it’s a great fit,” Dinwiddie said. “I love what they ask me to do here, which is get in the paint, and I’m going to continue to do that and continue to try to be of service.”
• Jacob Calvin Meyer can be reached at jmeyer@washingtontimes.com.
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