Spencer Dinwiddie signs three-year deal with Detroit Pistons

Spencer Dinwiddie, the 38th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft, has signed a three year deal with the Pistons according to Marc Stein of ESPN, then later confirmed by Dinwiddie on his Instagram account.

Dinwiddie is a combo guard out of Colorado that is still recovering from an ACL tear that he suffered in January. His place on the Pistons seemed assured once the team cut Peyton Siva last week. There are no reports on whether or not this contract has any guarantees or options.

This is a good signing for the Pistons. Dinwiddie has excellent potential at both ends of the court, and is versatile enough to play and defend multiple positions. This versatility will not be lost on the Pistons, and it will allow Dinwiddie to carve a nice niche as a role player off the bench early in his career. His ability to play on the ball will allow Brandon Jennings to potentially spot up in certain circumstances from behind the arc, and his ability to shoot from beyond the arc will help Kentavious Caldwell-Pope get some space to get into the midrange, where he can take the shots he loves so much.

While he’s not a particularly good defender yet, his size and versatility there should give Stan Van Gundy some different options in the back court. With Van Gundy in the fold though, I’d imagine that he should be able to help cultivate Dinwiddie’s solid quickness and great length into a good defender at some point. But until then, most of his value will come on offense where he’s good at making plays for both himself and others.

Now, the goal for Dinwiddie is simply to get healthy. His return date right now is very murky, and he told David Mayo of Michigan Live that there is no timetable for his recovery. That doesn’t sound great, but my guess is that at some point in 2015 we’ll see Dinwiddie in uniform for the Pistons.