Fischer: Interest in Spencer Dinwiddie S&T with Wizards waning

In a podcast with Basketball News posted Sunday, Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer suggests that interest is waning in a rumored sign-and-trade that would move Spencer Dinwiddie to the Wizards and bring Kyle Kuzma and/or Montrezl Harrell to the Nets.

Here’s what Fischer who broke news of the proposed S&T told Alex Kennedy...

“It came really strong over the weekend … I know Shams Charania and Fred Katz also report it at The Athletic. So it clearly got around the league and it’s something that’s been rumored and talked about but I’m not so sure it’s entirely happening right now. It doesn’t sound like there’s much interest from Brooklyn in the current state to take back Kyle Kuzma or Montrezl Harrell in a sign-and-trade. And that’s the necessary piece that would have to happen in order for Washington to get Spencer Dinwiddie at a number that’s more than the mid level right now.”

Fischer becomes the second reporter to suggest that the Nets aren’t interested in the two new Wizards players. Shams Charania reported the Nets wanted more. There were also reports that the Nets are interested in Thomas Bryant, the Wizards injured big man.

The Wizards agreed to acquire both the 6’9” Kuzma or the 6’7” Harrell in their planned blockbuster trade with the Lakers for Russell Westbrook. The trade can’t become official until Friday.

Meanwhile, Katz, who covers the Wizards for The Athletic, had this to say about the situation, noting other possibilities ...

Let’s have the Spencer Dinwiddie conversation. The free agent, who could earn $15 million to $20 million annually, is a possibility for Washington, as The Athletic and other outlets have reported, but because the Wizards are over the salary cap, he could come to D.C. only in a sign-and-trade, which isn’t easy to figure out.

The Nets are well over the luxury tax, enough that adding someone like Kuzma, for example, in a Dinwiddie swap would mean not just paying his $13 million salary but also tens of millions of additional dollars in taxes. They have to be in love with a player to add so much money. It means realistically, there has to be either a third team or a corresponding trade from Brooklyn, which has expressed interest in parting with DeAndre Jordan’s $9.9 million, if necessary, sources say.

Bertans could be a scary fit in Brooklyn (imagine the nightmares a center-less lineup of Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Joe Harris, Kevin Durant and Davis Bertans would cause), but he makes even more than Kuzma. Figuring out a mutually beneficial deal isn’t impossible. It just takes a little more nuance because of each team’s financial situation.

Adding Kuzma and/or Harrell would be a significant bump-up in the already burgeoning Nets payroll. Kuzma will make $13 million next season, the first year of a three-year, $40 million deal, while Harrell would make nearly $10 million after exercising his player option for next season last week. The Nets would also have to pay out tens of millions of dollars in luxury taxes in any such deal.

Yossi Gozlan, the Hoops hype capologist, tweeted that the most efficient way to do such a sign-and-trade might be for the Nets to join the Wizards and Lakers in a three-way trade that would be executed after Friday.

It seems that nothing is imminent. Other than the requirement that the trade not be consummated for another five days, there’s the issue of Dinwiddie’s market beyond Washington. It’s likely to depend on what happens in the coming days with other free agent point guards like Kyle Lowry, Mike Conley Jr., Dennis Schroeder and Lonzo Ball.

Sunday afternoon, there was speculation that Lowry could be headed to the Heat in a sign-and-trade with the Raptors getting Goran Dragic in return. If that were to happen, the Dinwiddie S&T speculation could move to Toronto.

Although Dinwiddie believes he’s worth $25 million a year, pundits have put his value at between $13 million and $20 million.

Fischer also reported Saturday that the Nets are “a leading candidate” for Bryn Forbes, the Bucks 3-point specialist. He did not elaborate further on that rumor in his podcast with Kennedy.

In other free agency news, Mike Scotto of Hoopshype reported that the Nets will soon tender a qualifying offer to last year’s rookie, Reggie Perry.

Free agency officially begins Monday at 6 p.m. ET. Although no signings can be made official until Friday expect a flurry of news starting long before that.

• Spencer Dinwiddie may be too expensive for Nets to keep - Greg Logan - Newsday