5 best buyout additions of the 2023-24 NBA season

3. Spencer Dinwiddie, Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers quickly netted Spencer Dinwiddie after he was traded to the Toronto Raptors and waived at the deadline. It has been a rough season for Dinwiddie, who became a vocal opponent of former Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn. Whether he blames the system or himself, Dinwiddie did not produce in Brooklyn despite a steady role.

It has not been much better in LA, frankly. Dinwiddie has seen his minutes decline rather drastically (23.9 per game) without meaningful improvement in the efficiency department. He's averaging 5.1 points and 3.6 assists on .354/.276/.800 splits across nine games with the Lakers. There's time for his output to stabilize, but we have reached the point where panic is warranted. The 30-year-old could simply be on the decline.

The size of his role and the magnitude of his reputation keeps Dinwiddie relatively high on this list. He is going to get surefire rotation minutes in the playoffs, assuming Darvin Ham doesn't make significant changes to the offensive hierarchy beforehand (and assuming the Lakers make the playoffs). Dinwiddie can still supply value with his rim pressure and passing. The lack of reliable scoring, especially behind the 3-point, is a serious red flag, though. It's not like Dinwiddie is making up that value on defense.

Los Angeles went through the trade deadline without a move, instead focusing on the splashiest possible buyout addition. Sometimes that doesn't work, though. Dinwiddie is not showing a sudden spike in impact now that he's in a "better" situation. Expectations should have been tempered from the beginning, but Dinwiddie has been quite bad. The hope is that talent eventually wins out and Dinwiddie, who averaged 17.3 points on 43.8 percent shooting last season, can regain his prior form.