By ASSOCIATED PRESS
DALLAS (AP) — The Dallas Mavericks are bringing back Spencer Dinwiddie in a reunion with the guard who played a key role in the club’s run to the 2022 Western Conference finals.
The Mavericks announced the signing of Dinwiddie on Saturday, Aug. 3, along with undrafted rookie free agent Jamarion Sharp, who played on their summer league team.
Dinwiddie was acquired before the 2022 trade deadline in a deal that sent Kristaps Porzingis to Washington and ended the failed bid by the Mavericks to pair Porzingis with fellow European star Luka Doncic. It was a spark for Dallas’ trip to the West finals, where the Mavs lost to Golden State.
This time, Dinwiddie joins a backcourt led by Doncic and Kyrie Irving, the star duo that led the Mavs to the NBA Finals this past season. Dallas lost to Boston in five games in its first trip to the finals since winning the franchise’s only championship in 2011.
Irving is recovering from surgery after breaking his left hand in an offseason workout. The club has yet to provide a timetable for Irving’s return.
Dinwiddie was part of the blockbuster trade with Brooklyn that brought Irving to Dallas before the 2023 deadline.
In February, the Nets sent Dinwiddie to Toronto, setting up a contract buyout that led him to join LeBron James and Anthony Davis with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Dinwiddie hoped for a deep playoff run in LA but watched his former team play into June instead after the Lakers were eliminated in the first round in five games by Denver.
Dinwiddie averaged 17.1 points and 4.9 assists in 76 games over parts of two seasons with the Mavs. The 31-year-old struggled to have much impact in his brief time with the Lakers, averaging 6.8 points in 24 minutes in the regular season.
The addition of Dinwiddie gives Dallas three new players in the backcourt. Former Golden State star Klay Thompson joined the Mavs in a sign-and-trade deal in free agency, and Quentin Grimes was acquired in a trade that sent Tim Hardaway Jr. to Detroit.
The 7-foot-5 Sharp averaged 2.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and a team-high 2.6 blocks in five summer league games. He finished his college career at Mississippi after leading the nation in blocks in each of his two seasons at Western Kentucky.
