Rival's notable signing should be no concern for Golden State Warriors

While the Golden State Warriors continue to ponder what they should do with a pair of open roster spots, one of their biggest rivals have made a free agency splash in the wake of Thursday's trade deadline.

As first reported by The Athletic's Shams Charania on Saturday, former Brooklyn Nets' guard Spencer Dinwiddie has signed with the Los Angeles Lakers after he was traded to, then waived by the Toronto Raptors on Thursday.

The Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers will square-off on a further three occasions over the next two months

The news comes as little surprise after early reports suggested Dinwiddie would choose between the Lakers and Dallas Mavericks, before the 30-year-old was seen sitting next to Los Angeles General Manager Rob Pelinka during the team's win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night.

Dinwiddie was widely-regarded as the best player on the market following the trade deadline, having averaged 13.6 points and 5.3 assists in a 10-year career. He finished third in Most Improved Player voting in 2017-18, before finishing fourth in Sixth Man of the Year voting a season later.

As a team over the second tax apron, the Warriors were ineligible to sign Dinwiddie or any other player making above the mid-level exception. The 6'5" guard had been on an expiring $18.9 million contract.

Having already seen Dinwiddie twice this season in a pair of meetings with the Nets, the Warriors will see him and the Lakers a further three times as they prepare to visit Crypto.com Arena twice after the All-Star break, along with another battle at Chase Center.

Dinwiddie was evidently disgruntled towards the end of his tenure in Brooklyn, but how much that led to his leaner production is yet to be fully known. He had become one of the league's most inefficient offensive players this season, having shot 39.1% from the floor and 32% from three-point range.

Dinwiddie's recent struggles included a nine-point, 3-of-12 shooting performance against Golden State on Monday, though he did have 16 points and 14 assists in their first meeting at Chase Center back in December.

Dinwiddie's addition to the Lakers may be a little overstated, and certainly shouldn't concern the Warriors or any other team scheduled to play them over the second-half of the season. A nice player to have sure, but the primary ball-handling/playmaking duties are still likely to sit with LeBron James, D'Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves.

The first meeting between the Warriors and Lakers delivered a classic double-overtime game at Chase Center two weeks ago, with James and Stephen Curry combining for 82 points in Golden State's one-point defeat.