Report: Dinwiddie close to agreement with Wizards originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
The Wizards are close to a free agent deal with point guard Spencer Dinwiddie, per a report by ESPN, as they aim to replace the hole left by Russell Westbrook in their starting lineup.
Washington traded Westbrook to the Lakers last week and had highlighted Dinwiddie as a top priority entering free agency. They are nearing an agreement, but it's complicated by the fact it requires a sign-and-trade, as the Wizards do not have the cap room to sign Dinwiddie outright.
The Wizards will either have to send players to the Nets or get a third team involved to make the money work by shipping out salary. Dinwiddie is expected to command in the range of $20 million per season.
As long as the deal doesn't fall through, the Wizards will have Dinwiddie on board as the eyes his return from surgery to repair a partially torn ACL, which he underwent in January. He averaged 20.6 points and 6.8 assists per game in 2019-20, his last healthy season.
Dinwiddie, 28, is also known for his defense and high motor. He was instrumental in the Nets building a perennial playoff team in the late 2010s despite trading multiple high draft picks to the Celtics.