Unlike Cameron Bairstow, Spencer Dinwiddie didn’t have to earn a contract in the summer league after being drafted in the second round.
Bairstow impressed in Las Vegas and got a three-year deal from the Bulls. Dinwiddie never got that chance with the Pistons
Dinwiddie tore his ACL at Colorado, a big reason the point guard slipped to Detroit’s No. 38 pick. By drafting a player who will still be injured when next season begins, the Pistons essentially committed to signing him.
And that’s what they’ll do.
Marc Stein of ESPN:
Hearing Pistons second-rounder Spencer Dinwiddie has landed a three-year deal from his new team
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 22, 2014
This is the advantage of signing only middling-at-best free agents (Jodie Meeks, Caron Butler, D.J. Augustin, Cartier Martin, Aaron Gray).
A team can exceed the salary cap to sign a player to a minimum-salary contract as long as it’s two or fewer years. By preserving room, the Pistons can give Dinwiddie a three-year deal and have his Bird Rights if he completes the contract. No word on whether the contract is guaranteed or not.
At some point, Dinwiddie will have to prove himself on the court. First, though, he’s got an NBA contract.
