How Kobe Bryant may have indirectly played a role in Spencer Dinwiddie picking the Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers may have stood pat at the trade deadline, but they recently made a splash on the buyout market. The team won the Spencer Dinwiddie sweepstakes, and Lakers legend Kobe Bryant may have indirectly had a hand in the veteran guard’s decision.

As it turns out, joining the Lakers was always a dream for Dinwiddie, perhaps due in part to the fact that he grew up a big fan of Bryant and the franchise.

Other organizations were reportedly interested in pursuing him, including the Dallas Mavericks. But Los Angeles was fortunate enough to land its top buyout target.

Dallas appeared to be the Lakers’ toughest competition for Dinwiddie’s services, and earlier in his career, the 30-year-old had a solid stint with the Mavs.

He was shipped to Dallas during the 2021-22 season and immediately played a key role in the squad’s playoff run months later. The Mavs reached the 2022 Western Conference Finals, where they lost to the eventual champions, the Golden State Warriors. Dinwiddie scored 26 points in the series twice to try to help his team. Unfortunately, the Warriors just had too much star power.

The following season saw him land a spot in the starting lineup for Dallas. However, the Mavs decided to part ways with him nearly a year after acquiring him, sending him to the Brooklyn Nets in the blockbuster trade that sent Kyrie Irving to Dallas.

Now, Dinwiddie finds himself joining his hometown team, where he will be able to help the Lakers with their playoff aspirations.

It’s unclear what role the guard will assume in Los Angeles, although he will likely serve as depth behind D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves. Stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis already heaped praise upon Dinwiddie recently, describing ways he can help the Lakers.

The squad is likely hoping that Dinwiddie can provide stability for the second unit as well as a bit of a boost whenever he joins James and Davis on the floor.

He will have to work on his shooting, though, as he is converting just 32.0 percent of his 3-point attempts this season. The good news for the Lakers is that Dinwiddie shot 40.4 percent from long distance in his brief tenure in Dallas when he played alongside an elite shot-creator in Luka Doncic.