It did not take long for the Los Angeles Lakers to make a move after staying silent at the trade deadline. Just one day after the deadline, the Lakers and Rob Pelinka hosted Spencer Dinwiddie, who was just traded to the Toronto Raptors and subsequently waived.
It seemingly didn't take much for Pelinka to convince the LA native to put on the purple and gold as Shams Charania reported on Saturday morning that Dinwiddie would be signing with the Lakers.
Just like that, the Lakers got the biggest name on the buyout market and didn't have to trade anything at the deadline to get him. Fans who were starving for some kind of activity love the move, and while it seems to be received well by the Lakers themselves, there is one player specifically who this signing shines a bad light on.
Lakers signing Spencer Dinwiddie shows the team has no faith in D'Angelo Russell
D'Angelo Russell has really turned this season around and has many skeptical Lakers fans buying into him once again. Russell upped his play after being the most prominent name in Lakers trade rumors and has cemented himself as the third-best player on the Lakers over the last month.
With Russell playing so well, you would think that the Lakers wouldn't have used the one remaining roster spot available on another ball-dominant guard who needs a high usage rate. If anything, the team would bring in a wing that can replace Jarred Vanderbilt while he is hurt, or even a big man that can provide depth.
Instead, the Lakers got another guard who has a similar profile as Russell when it comes to what he needs to be successful. Why?
Because the Lakers still don't trust D'Angelo Russell.
There is a reason why Russell's name was still the most talked-about on the trade market when it pertained to the Lakers. There is a reason why Russell waived his implied no-trade clause when he signed a new deal with the Lakers last summer. And there is a reason why Los Angeles was so quick to bring Dinwiddie in to sign him: because the team does not trust D'Lo.
To be fair, it is hard to blame the Lakers for being hesitant to fully trust Russell. After all, Russell is coming off of a horrible Western Conference Finals series against the Denver Nuggets last season. Throughout his career, Russell has rubber-banded time and time again, going from a prominent offensive weapon one night to unplayable the next night.
Dinwiddie is Russell insurance. He will still get his minutes in the regular season off the bench as he looks to be the locomotive of the second unit. But when the playoffs roll around, if the Lakers make it, Dinwiddie will be the "break glass in case of emergency" option if Russell decides not to show up again.
The rotations shrink in the playoffs and with Gabe Vincent potentially returning before then, it is hard to see Dinwiddie carving out a role in the rotation if Russell is still getting his usual minutes. Dinwiddie won't get minutes in that situation; he will get minutes if Russell starts to fall apart.