The start of the 2025-26 NBA regular season is days away, as the Detroit Pistons are getting ready for their season opener against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday. While the Pistons have finalized their roster already, there are a few teams putting their final touches on the 15 players plus three two-way players they will carry into the season. Among the final cuts on Thursday was a former Pistons guard as ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Spencer Dinwiddie was being cut by the Charlotte Hornets.
Ex-Piston Spencer Dinwiddie Gets Cut by Hornets Days Before Season Opener
This is a disappointing development for the 32-year-old. He had signed a deal in free agency with the Hornets back in July, but wasn't able to make it to the start of the regular season in a surprise turn of events. Charlotte is one of the younger and less experienced teams in the league that is in desperate need for more discipline, veteran leadership, and solid locker room presence. Dinwiddie could have provided that as a seasoned veteran behind LaMelo Ball, but the Hornets ultimately decided to look elsewhere for that contribution.
On the basketball court, this makes some sense. The Hornets already traded for Collin Sexton in the offseason, and have Tre Mann on the roster. With Ball starting the season healthy, that is more than enough guard play, making Dinwiddie rather redundant. Cutting a veteran you just signed a few months ago because of roster spot constraints, however, is not a good look for an organization.
For Dinwiddie, not making the roster of an Eastern Conference bottomfeeder as the 15th man must be disappointing, especially after starting 30 games and playing in 79 games for the Dallas Mavericks last season. With not much time left before the season, Dinwiddie may find it hard to land with a new team immediately. But, he has enough of a reputation and an important shot creation skillset that he should be able to land an opportunity before it's too late.
For Pistons fans, seeing Dinwiddie have this productive an NBA career is in itself very surprising. After he was selected in the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft, Dinwiddie failed to make much of an impact in his two seasons in Detroit. His shot wasn't falling, he was one of the least efficient scorers in the league, and almost completely fell out of the rotation in his second season, resulting in his trade before the 2016-17 season. In Brooklyn, Dinwiddie thrived and turned himself into a very capable rotation player who can play both ends of the floor, before having productive stints with the Mavericks, Wizards, and the Lakers. The next stage in his career will be of interest to many NBA fans.