With the 2021 free-agent market looming in August, many players already know whether they’ll be an unrestricted or restricted free agent.
However, some players don’t have instant clarification if they have options in their contracts. Players often sign contracts that include an option in the final deal of the year.
Player option and team option are the two types, and who has control over accepting or declining the option depends on the exact type.
For instance, Los Angeles Lakers big man Montrezl Harrell has a $9.7 million player option he must ruminate over. If Harrell accepts the option, he would remain in Los Angeles. If he declines, he would be an unrestricted free agent.
Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie is in the same situation. However, he already declined his $12.3 million player option as that amount of money is lower than his actual market valuation.
When Dinwiddie first signed the deal with Brooklyn, he gradually developed into a steady multi-level scorer and ball-handler, essentially outplaying his contract, and became the type of player that should earn more than $12 million a year.
With his future up in the air, there are questions about where he will land next. According to Kristian Winfield of New York Daily News, Dinwiddie favors Los Angeles:
“Dinwiddie, however, is unlikely to return to the Nets after taking a below-market-value three-year deal worth $34 million. A source told The Daily News the combo guard wants to go home, or ‘wants the bag.’ ‘Home is the preferred destination,’ the source told The Daily News. ‘But he wants to secure his financial future, too.’
Home for Dinwiddie is Los Angeles, where he spent the entire season rehabbing from his ACL tear at Phenom Sports Performance.”
Before an ACL injury wiped out Dinwiddie’s 2020-21 season, Dinwiddie had a breakout year in 2019-20. He averaged 20.6 points per game, 6.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 41.5 percent from the field on 16 attempts and 30.8 percent from deep on 6.3 attempts.
A sign-and-trade would be the route to L.A., whether it’s to the Lakers or the Los Angeles Clippers as both teams don’t have enough cap space to sign him outright.
Assuming Dinwiddie signs for more than what he declined, the Lakers would have to include a player like Kyle Kuzma or Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to match salaries. If Harrell accepts his option, he could be another possibility.
But since Dinwiddie is also open to getting paid for his financial future, Los Angeles may not be his next destination. Still, he’s the type of player the Lakers could’ve used in the playoffs alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
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