Mavericks' free agency gamble looks genius now as polarizing former guard hits bottom

Toward the end of last offseason, the Dallas Mavericks were weighing whether they should bring back now 33-year-old guard Spencer Dinwiddie, but they decided to let Dinwiddie walk in free agency to the Charlotte Hornets, which proved to be the right decision.

Dinwiddie was cut by the Hornets ahead of the regular season starting, and then played in 11 games for EuroLeague squad FC Bayern Munich before mutually agreeing to part ways due to personal reasons.

Mavericks saw Spencer Dinwiddie's decline before everyone else

Hopefully, everything is going okay with Dinwiddie and his family, as he had to return to the States because of whatever issue he was dealing with.

"We thank Spencer for the commitment he gave us," Bayern sports director Dragan Tarlac said about Dinwiddie. "But sometimes other things are more important than sport. Health comes above everything else, and we sincerely hope that everything will turn out well for Spencer and his family in 2026.”

Upon returning home, Dinwiddie lobbied for the Houston Rockets to pick him up, and it seems like no team will be picking him up, given that the season is at its conclusion.

Former Mavericks GM Nico Harrison screwed up a lot in Dallas, especially toward the end of his tenure, but if there's one thing Mavericks fans can give him credit for, it's that he saw Dinwiddie's decline happening in the nick of time.

Dallas may have been Dinwiddie's final stop in the NBA

Dinwiddie had some decent stretches for the Mavericks in the 2024-25 season, especially toward the end of the season after Luka Doncic was traded. However, his quickness off the dribble simply wasn't at the same level as it was compared to in his prime, and he was very inconsistent with his shot-making. At this point, there's a decent chance Dinwiddie may never return to the NBA again, so Dallas was smart to punt on him when they did.

If Dallas ends up being Dinwiddie's last stop in the league, then that's not a terrible way to go out, as he provided Mavericks fans with some great moments over the course of the three seasons he spent with the organization.

If Dinwiddie does still have the desire to play in the league, though, he'll have to climb an uphill battle to get signed by a team this summer, as he'd likely only get a training camp invite at this point in his career, where he'd have to fight his way to a real roster spot.

Mavericks fans and media should wish Dinwiddie the best going forward, especially regarding whatever personal/family issues prompted him to leave FC Bayern Munich prematurely. Despite his over-tendency to foul-bait and take ill-advised 3-point jumpers, he always competed very hard in Dallas and was a menace in the in-between game and at the rim during his prime. Hopefully, things work out for him regarding what he's dealing with, but the Mavericks ultimately made the right choice.