Spencer Dinwiddie joined the Dallas Mavericks from the Washington Wizards at the trade deadline. After his 36 points against the Sacramento Kings, the point guard spoke about his failed time in Washington and expressed disappointment.
Dinwiddie has been portrayed at the Wizards as part of the problem why things went downhill after a good start to the season. There were numerous reports that he was not a good teammate in the Capitals. “That hurt me,” Dinwiddie said after the game against the Kings, as Dinwiddie made his best game in a Mavs jersey with 36 points.
“I haven’t said a bad word about Washington, I haven’t said anything bad about the team. I want to thank owners Ted Leonsis, GM Tommy Sheppard and Bradley Beal for standing up for me in getting me a contract in Washington. They didn’t have to give me a contract after tearing my cruciate ligament.”
Dinwiddie suffered a cruciate ligament injury while playing for the Brooklyn Nets but was signed to a three-year, $54 million contract by the Wizards in the offseason. After just 44 games, the Wizards traded the guard to Dallas along with Davis Bertans for Kristaps Porzingis.
Dinwiddie disappointed with Wizards night kick
“I thank the team for supporting me, but it hurt me to be criticized when I left. I’m only human.” Dinwiddie had attempted to fill the role of leader in Washington, but Dinwiddie said those attempts were not well received in the dressing room. Chase Hughes (NBC Sports) later reported that Dinwiddie was not particularly popular with his fellow players.
The 29-year-old didn’t want to let that stand and explained that he himself reduced his scoring so that his teammates could shine. “I sacrificed myself for them. They wanted me to pass more and I did that. The team wanted Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to shoot more and I tried to do that.”
For Dinwiddie that was a matter of course as he had already received a new contract himself. During his time with the Wizards, the playmaker averaged 12.6 points and 5.8 assists, but hit only 37.6 percent of his shots and just 31 percent from downtown.
