3 Brooklyn Nets players who won’t be back next season

1. Spencer Dinwiddie

Dinwiddie missed all but three games this season due to a torn ACL. He was eyeing a return for the playoffs, with the NBA Finals the most realistic scenario all along. But with the Nets falling short of that, his tenure with the team is likely over.

As of this writing, Dinwiddie has until Monday (June 21) to make a decision on his $12.3 million player option for next season. Back in May he said he intended to decline it, and after the season-ending loss to the Bucks, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that’s still the plan. Opting out doesn’t automatically mean Dinwiddie doesn’t want to return to the Nets, or that the Nets won’t try to bring him back. But with multiple other suitors likely in play, he will probably find a better deal elsewhere. A sign-and-trade is also possible, as the Nets look to use an asset to bolster their depth.

Dinwiddie was a 20-point scorer for the Nets in 2019-20 (20.6 per game), and he also led the team in assists that season (6.8 per game). It would’ve been interesting to see how he fit as a sixth man for Brooklyn, but it was not to be. A new team can offer him a bigger role and a bigger contract, and no one will blame Dinwiddie for moving on under that circumstance.