During a recent podcast appearance, Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie conceded uncertainty remains around the franchise, and leaguewide, until the respective futures of All-Star duo Damian Lillard and James Harden are resolved. Both made trade requests public in July and with a few weeks before training camp begins, multiple ball clubs are involved in potential scenarios.
Dinwiddie declares league currently in a holding pattern
- Portland Trail Blazers’ franchise guard Damian Lillard and Philadelphia 76ers’ All-Star James Harden remain with their respective ball clubs, despite both angling for trades to pastures new this summer
- “Obviously, the offseason isn’t over – the entire league is in a holding pattern for Dame and James, could affect what we have going on,” Dinwiddie said in podcast episode with NetsPress’ Dylan Burris last week
- Brooklyn have been linked with Heat’s sharpshooting guard Tyler Herro, should Portland be willing to do a three-team trade sending Lillard to his preferred destination – the Eastern Conference champions in Miami
- Dinwiddie, himself traded back to Brooklyn in February after previously spending five years there (2016-2021), believes the 2023-24 campaign will be about building for the future as far as they’re concerned, citing Mikal Bridges and Nic Claxton as two players who could potentially thrive
Spencer Dinwiddie has reason to be optimistic about the upcoming season, as far as Brooklyn are concerned, and that should ease the minds of fans worried they won’t be a true sleepy contender out East after last season’s inevitable star departures.
Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant gone, James Harden traded twelve months prior, there is a quiet sense of optimism they can compete among the ball clubs fighting for playoff spots down the home stretch: the regular season’s business months.
Flying under the radar is good as they’ve made some sneaky free agent additions in guard duo Dennis Smith Jr and Lonnie Walker, while their second-round draft pick and 22-year-old small forward Jalen Wilson (Kansas) is on a two-way contract.
Couple that with Mikal Bridges’ continued growth into the role as a bonafide number one option, they’ll fancy their chances to surprise critics the same way Utah managed after the Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell departures last summer.
If the Nets’ roster remains as currently constructed, without any blockbuster moves or shifts in a different direction – still a possibility – the rebuild will continue with three-time All-Star Ben Simmons hopefully staying injury-free too.
Claxton and co set to continue their progression
Their starting center, Nic Claxton, is on an expiring $9.6m contract and enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2022-23. Dinwiddie believes he’ll produce even more as the spotlight shines brighter on a big man likely to get paid handsomely going forward.
“I think Nic is going to make the biggest jump, going to be supremely motivated, think we’re going to see a big-time year from him.”
As mentioned above, Tyler Herro is a name that has been mentioned in a potential Lillard trade, though Portland don’t exactly want another sharpshooting guard at a time when focusing on the development of #3 draft pick Scoot Henderson.
While Dinwiddie said the information surrounding possible trades was certainly above his pay grade, his enthusiasm about existing teammates speaks to cohesion and belief they’d be wise not to risk disrupting – as has been the case previously.
“Mikal will try to establish himself as a first-time All-Star, Nic as one of the league’s premier big men especially heading into free agency next year.
Cam [Johnson] has more ball skills than people kind of expected, being comfortable signing his deal, I think you’ll see a little bit of a leap there…
We’re going to be a group that gets up and down, hopefully we have a healthy Ben [Simmons] and if he’s in All-Star form, you might have two All-Stars. If he’s there, we have a real puncher’s chance against anybody.”
We’ll have to wait and see, but the signs sure are positive from a player whose ball club overachieved while he was there in Dallas alongside Luka Doncic by making the Western Conference Finals (2021-22), so you’d be wise to take heed when he talks.
Harden’s situation at a fellow Eastern Conference contender in Philadelphia, and Lillard’s longing for Miami – another Eastern contemporary – muddies the waters for now. How much longer will this holding pattern last, is the real question?
Picture source: Getty Images, quote source hyperlinked
Mo and Sports 