The Washington Wizards are struggling mightily and things might be getting ugly behind the scenes. Recently, there have been a number of quotes that raised eyebrows from both players and coaches.
Now, there’s a report from Kevin O’Connor at The Ringer claiming Wizards players don’t want Spencer Dinwiddie around anymore.
"“The Wizards want to move Dinwiddie because he looks like a shell of his former self and his teammates don’t want him there”"
Looking like a shell of his former self is something Wizards fans won’t be surprised by. Dinwiddie hasn’t brought what the team hoped he would this offseason and his inconsistent play is one of the reasons for the Wizards struggles.
The second part of the quote is a lot more telling. It seems Dinwiddie has already worn out his welcome in the locker room early in his first season with the team. That’s problematic anywhere, but especially concerning on a team that already lacks clear leadership.
How this situation is affecting players, we don’t know. If teammates truly don’t want him around it will only have a negative impact on the group.
The Wizards were already looking like some significant trades might be coming and now we know who could be the first domino to fall in one of those trades. Dinwiddie is making $17 million this season and has two more years left on his contract. The last year is partially guaranteed, meaning trading for him isn’t as much of a burden as it might seem.
We could see a team looking for more scoring or better point guard play take a swing on him, though his value will not be high right now. He would be a relatively low-risk, high-reward player for any team that acquired him.
If suitors don’t emerge, the Wizards may need to push trade talks involving him. If this report is true, it’s a bad situation for everyone and something all parties should want to move on from. Until that happens, Spencer Dinwiddie and his teammates will try to break the slump they are in.