Spencer Dinwiddie Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bulls Release Spencer Dinwiddie

October 21st, 2016 at 4:48pm CST by Luke Adams

4:48pm: Chicago has announced that the move is official via press release.

2:08pm: The Bulls had already made the cuts necessary to get down to 15 players, but they aren’t done yet. According to Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Chicago has also waived Spencer Dinwiddie, reducing the team’s roster to 14 players.

It’s been an eventful few months for Dinwiddie, who finished the 2015/16 campaign with the Pistons, having averaged 4.8 PPG and 1.8 APG in 12 contests for the club last season. Detroit sent Dinwiddie to the Bulls in a trade for Cameron Bairstow, and Chicago subsequently waived the 23-year-old in order to clear the cap room necessary to sign Dwyane Wade. The Bulls later re-signed Dinwiddie to a new deal.

Dinwiddie’s new two-year, minimum-salary contract was fully non-guaranteed, but he would have been in line for a $400K guarantee if he had remained on the Bulls’ roster beyond November 1. Rather than carrying him on the opening-night roster and then cutting him a few days later, it seems Chicago simply waived him now to avoid paying that partial guarantee.

The Bulls are now carrying 14 players — 13 with guaranteed salaries and Cristiano Felicio on a non-guaranteed pact. Check out Roster Resource for the team’s roster and depth chart.

Bulls Waive Three Players; Roster Stands At 15

October 21st, 2016 at 10:23am CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls have waived three players from their roster, announcing today in a press release that they’ve parted ways with camp invitees J.J. Avila, D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, and Thomas Walkup. All three players will become free agents if and when they clear waivers.

Avila, Smith-Rivera, and Walkup each signed one-year contracts with the Bulls this summer, and were always viewed as long shots to earn regular-season roster spots. Walkup received a guarantee of $69,500 on his minimum-salary contract, while Avila and Smith-Rivera received no guaranteed money. Assuming they aren’t snatched up by another club, all three players are candidates to join Chicago’s new D-League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls.

The Bulls are now down to 15 players, meaning their roster is set for the regular season. Still, if the team wants to dip below the maximum, it has some flexibility to make additional cuts. Currently, 13 Chicago players have fully guaranteed salaries for 2016/17, while Spencer Dinwiddie and Cristiano Felicio are on non-guaranteed contracts.

For a breakdown of the Bulls’ current 2016/17 salary cap situation, check out our salary cap snapshot for the team.

Bulls Notes: Felicio, Hoiberg, Wade, Dinwiddie

September 25th, 2016 at 7:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

Chicago’s offseason moves should give Cristiano Felicio an opportunity for more playing time, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. The 6’10” Brazilian center appeared in just 31 games with the Bulls during his rookie season and spent much of the year with Canton in the D-League. However, he stood out as part of Chicago’s summer league squad that won a championship in Las Vegas. The Bulls lost both Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol in free agency over the summer. Robin Lopez, who was acquired from the Knicks in the Derrick Rose trade, is the only true center on Chicago’s roster, which could mean a lot more playing time for Felicio. “I learned so much because the Bulls last year, they had a lot of big guys and they were always talking to me and giving me tips,” he said. “It was my first year and I didn’t know what to expect through the season and they were always talking to me, telling me what to do and what not to do in the NBA. It for sure helped me a lot in my first year.”

There’s more news out of Chicago:

Coach Fred Hoiberg once again seems to have a roster that doesn’t fit his preferred style of play, according to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. Hoiberg promised a pace-and-space system when he became head coach, but he hasn’t been given the outside shooters to make that work. This summer’s top two additions, Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo, are both more slashers than shooters. The only change in Hoiberg’s staff was the addition of Dr. Wendy Borlabi as a “high performance coach” who is focused on the mental aspects of the game.
Bulls management has talked about limiting Wade’s minutes during the regular season so he can be more effective in the playoffs, Johnson writes in the same story. The Heat did the same thing last year, as Wade averaged a career-low 30.5 minutes and stayed healthy enough to play in 74 games. “In Miami, Coach Spo [Erik Spoelstra] wanted me to play 30 minutes a game in the regular season, and when he told me that the year before, I wasn’t on board,” Wade said. “But [in 2015-16], he wound up doing it and it was successful for me. Every year is different. I work very hard, man. I just need to take care of my body, especially as I get older. I always have the mentality that I’ll do whatever for my team that I need to do. But I’m not trying to play 40 minutes.”
Spencer Dinwiddie probably comes into camp as the favorite to back up Rondo at point guard, according to Sam Smith of NBA.com. Dinwiddie, whom the Bulls traded for, waived and re-signed over the summer, will get competition from rookie Denzel Valentine and Jerian Grant.

Bulls Re-Sign Spencer Dinwiddie

July 28th, 2016 at 4:51pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Bulls have circled back to guard Spencer Dinwiddie, with the team announcing via press release that he has been re-signed. The length and terms of the arrangement were not relayed in the release, but odds are that it is a minimum salary deal with little or no guaranteed money included. The addition of Dinwiddie gives the Bulls a roster count of 15, which is the regular season maximum.

Chicago had waived Dinwiddie back on July 7th in an effort to clear cap room for free agent pursuits. The Bulls had acquired the 23-year-old from Detroit in exchange for power forward Cameron Bairstow in June.

Dinwiddie completed the 2015/16 campaign, his second in the NBA, with averages of 4.8 points, 1.8 assists, 1.4 rebounds and 13.3 minutes over 12 contests. He was drafted by the Pistons with the No. 38 overall selection in the 2014 NBA Draft. Dinwiddie owns career averages of 4.4 points, 2.7 assists, 1.4 rebounds and 13.3 minutes through 46 regular season games in the league.

Bulls To Waive Spencer Dinwiddie

July 7th, 2016 at 4:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Bulls have parted ways with guard Spencer Dinwiddie, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports (via Twitter). Dinwiddie’s salary of $980,431 for 2016/17 was non-guaranteed, so Chicago won’t be on the hook for any salary as a result of the move. Provided he clears waivers, Dinwiddie will become an unrestricted free agent.

Dinwiddie completed his second NBA season with averages of 4.8 points, 1.8 assists, 1.4 rebounds and 13.3 minutes over 12 contests. He was drafted by the Pistons with the No. 38 overall selection in the 2014 NBA Draft. Dinwiddie owns career averages of 4.4 points, 2.7 assists, 1.4 rebounds and 13.3 minutes in NBA 46 games.

Chicago had acquired the 23-year-old from Detroit in exchange for power forward Cameron Bairstow in June.

Central Notes: Pistons, Butler, Bucks, Pacers

June 17th, 2016 at 5:27pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons and Bulls pulled off the first trade of the 2016 NBA offseason today, with Detroit sending 2014 second-rounder Spencer Dinwiddie to Chicago for Bulls big man Cameron Bairstow. According to Pistons GM Jeff Bower, the team wanted to give Dinwiddie a change of scenery, allowing him to get into a situation “that could benefit him long-term,” as Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press writes.

The trade came on the heels of the Pistons’ announcement earlier this week about the team’s new-look front office. As David Mayo of MLive.com outlines, Detroit’s front office restructure involved a promotion for Pat Garrity, who earned an assistant general manager title and will manage the club’s salary cap. Mayo has the details and quotes from Garrity on the 39-year-old’s new role.

Here’s more from around the Central division, including one more Pistons note:

According to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com (Twitter link), the Pistons hosted six more prospects for pre-draft workouts today, with Kentucky guard Tyler Ulis among the participants. The other five prospects in attendance were Sheldon McClellan (Miami), Tim Quarterman (LSU), Bryn Forbes (Michigan State), Max Hooper (Oakland), and Josh Adams (Wyoming).
Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders attempts to put together five plausible trade proposals involving Bulls forward Jimmy Butler, with a focus on the Timberwolves and Celtics as Chicago’s potential trade partners.
Whether or not the Bucks seriously consider Malachi Richardson as early as No. 10 in next week’s draft remains to be seen, but Milwaukee is fond of the former Syracuse wing, and director of scouting Billy McKinney has had his eye on Richardson for a while, writes Rick Braun of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Nate Taylor of The Indianapolis Star and Wheat Hotchkiss of Pacers.com explore whether the Pacers should opt for upside or select a safer, more proven commodity with their first-round pick in this year’s draft.

Pistons Acquire Cameron Bairstow

June 17th, 2016 at 10:52am CST by Eddie Scarito

David Banks/USA TODAY Sports Images

The Pistons have agreed to a trade with the Bulls that sends power forward Cameron Bairstow to Detroit in exchange for combo guard Spencer Dinwiddie, the team announced. The deal is official, per the press release. Chicago has confirmed the trade with a press release of its own.

Bairstow, 25, appeared in 18 games with Chicago last season, averaging 1.9 points, 1.6 rebounds in 5.7 minutes per outing. The two-year veteran was drafted out of the New Mexico with the No. 49 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. As a senior for the Lobos, he averaged a Mountain West Conference-high 20.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 32.9 minutes in 34 games. Bairstow holds career averages of 1.2 points, 1.0 rebounds and 4.6 minutes in 36 NBA games with the Bulls. His 2016/17 salary of $980,431 is non-guaranteed.

Dinwiddie, 23, completed his second NBA season with averages of 4.8 points, 1.8 assists, 1.4 rebounds and 13.3 minutes over 12 contests. He was drafted by the Pistons with the No. 38 overall selection in the 2014 NBA Draft. Dinwiddie owns career averages of 4.4 points, 2.7 assists, 1.4 rebounds and 13.3 minutes in NBA 46 games. The player is also set to earn $980,431 next season, an amount that is non-guaranteed.

Eastern Notes: Beal, Knicks, Antetokounmpo

May 23rd, 2016 at 4:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Shooting guard Bradley Beal believes he’s worthy of a max deal as he heads into restricted free agency this summer, Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post reports. Beal will sign an offer sheet from a suitor willing to pay that price if the Wizards don’t make a max offer when free agency begins in July, he told Castillo in a phone interview. “I feel like I’m a max player and that’s what I’m looking for,” he said. “If Washington can’t meet that requirement then I may be thinking elsewhere. I’m pretty sure that they probably won’t [let me go].” Beal declined a contract extension prior to the beginning of this past season and doesn’t believe his injury history will affect his bargaining power, Castillo adds. “The injury thing, that’s behind me,” Beal said. “I’m moving forward. I’m past it.”

In other news around the Eastern Conference:

Jerry Sichting, Jeff Hornacek’s offensive assistant with the Suns, could land an assistant coaching job with the Knicks under Hornacek, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Sichting was let go against Hornacek’s wishes last season while Corey Gaines, another former Hornacek assistant who was not retained by the Suns after the season, is also a candidate to join Hornacek’s staff, Berman continues. Hornacek is not expected to retain ex-coach Derek Fisher’s hires of former Thunder assistants Brian Keefe, Joshua Longstaff and David Bliss.
Power forward Anthony Tolliver, center Joel Anthony and point guards Steve Blake and Lorenzo Brown are unlikely to return next season, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com in his roster review. It’s 50-50 whether the team will bring back oft-injured shooting guard Jodie Meeks and third-string point guard Spencer Dinwiddie, Langlois continues. Meeks could be tossed into a trade, while the club has a mid-July deadline to decide whether to guarantee Dinwiddie’s contract for next season, Langlois adds.
Power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo wants to play for the Greek National Team in the Olympic Qualifier at Turin, Italy, Sportando reports via Eurohoops. “I want to play for the national team. The Bucks know it,” he said to Eurohoops. “We have not talked yet for this matter. Even if they are negative, I would try to convince them to let me play.”

Central Notes: Brown, Drummond, Gibson, James

March 18th, 2016 at 5:34pm CST by Arthur Hill

Dealing with illness and injury in their backcourt, the Pistons signed Lorenzo Brown today as “insurance,” coach/executive Stan Van Gundy told Aaron McMann of MLive. Starting point guard Reggie Jackson is dealing with a viral issue, while reserve Spencer Dinwiddie is recovering from a deep bone bruise in his ankle. With Steve Blake as the only healthy point guard, the Pistons gave a 10-day contract to Brown, who was playing for the Grand Rapids Drive in the D-League. “I watched Reggie the other night and he was sick, and Spencer’s not 100%,” Van Gundy explained. “You start saying, ‘We might want to get that covered.'” Brown was in Detroit’s training camp before the start of last season had two 10-day contracts with the Suns earlier this year. Van Gundy likes Brown’s familiarity with the Pistons’ system, but he doesn’t plan to use him in a game unless there’s an emergency.

There’s more from Detroit and the rest of the Central Division:

Van Gundy lashed out at his defense, especially center Andre Drummond, after surrendering 118 points in Wednesday’s loss to the Hawks, writes David Mayo of MLive. The coach expects better rim protection from Drummond, who will be a restricted free agent this summer after agreeing to pass on an extension. Drummond is considered a virtual lock to stay with the Pistons on a max contract. “He’s not contesting shots at the rim,” Van Gundy said. “You look at the per-minute stuff and he’s 38th in the league in blocks per minute. I mean that’s just — maybe he can’t be in the top three or four but you don’t need to be 38th.”
Taj Gibson, the subject of trade rumors before last month’s deadline, has emerged as a team leader as a wave of injuries has hit the Bulls, according to Sam Smith of Bulls.com. “This is where young guys have to be veterans, suck it up and do the job,” Gibson said. That’s the way we’ve been playing the last couple of years and what I am trying to transfer to the young guys now.”
Cavaliers star LeBron James has posted another cryptic Instagram message, according to Luke Kerr-Dineen of USA Today Sports’ For The Win. James put together a montage of photos of him, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and others with the message, “Who cares what others say that don’t agree with decisions we make because it doesn’t matter, this is our journey, the path we was giving and we’ll continue to walk it heads high guarding each others back throughout it all!”

Central Notes: Lue, Dinwiddie, Bayless

February 11th, 2016 at 9:14pm CST by Eddie Scarito

New Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue, who is a student of Phil Jackson‘s coaching style, has no qualms about taking LeBron James to task for any mistakes, a practice that has been well-received by James thus far, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com writes. “The thing with Phil is he did all of his coaching in practice,” Lue said. “He always held Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal more accountable than anyone else on the team. It always starts at the top and trickles down to the bottom. If you can get the respect of your best players, everyone else will fall in line. That was the biggest thing with Phil, like, in a game he’d let you figure it out and let you play, but in practice he’s coaching.”

As for James’ response to Lue’s methods, the coach told McMenamin, “It’s been good, so far. He understands what we’ve got to do to get to the point we want to get to. It’s not personal. It’s just teaching and correcting. If I can teach and correct him, like I said, other guys will follow in line. We can’t be afraid to do that and hold him accountable.”

Here’s more from the Central Division:

Pacers coach Frank Vogel expects the team’s roster to remain untouched through the trade deadline, as he said Wednesday, according to Scott Agness of VigiliantSports (Twitter link).
Spencer Dinwiddie will be with the Pistons after the All-Star break instead of on D-League assignment, coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said, according to Rod Beard of The Detroit News (Twitter links). Dinwiddie said last month that GM Jeff Bower told him he’d be in the D-League the rest of the season. The Pistons recalled Dinwiddie on Tuesday, but that was so their doctors could look at his sprained ankle.“We’ll weigh what’s best for him and what’s best for us. Initially, we’ll bring him back. I’d like to see him now,” Van Gundy said.
Bulls power forward Taj Gibson believes this year’s Chicago squad has more talent than the one that made it to the 2011 Conference Finals but doesn’t play hard for each other the way the 2010/11 team did, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune tweets.
The Bucks coaching staff is pleased with the improvement combo guard Jerryd Bayless has demonstrated shooting the ball from beyond the 3-point line, Matt Velazquez of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel writes. “He has worked extremely hard at it and put a lot of time into it,” coach Jason Kidd said. “He is not short on confidence, so right now he is shooting the three at a very high level.” Bayless, who is earning $3MM this season, will become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.