Boston Celtics: What would Cs give up in S&T for Dennis Schroder?

The race for Dennis Schroder appears to be led by the Boston Celtics for now, as every other contender for him has spent their money on different names in free agency or made trades that have capped them out of an offer.

Initially, the Cs never thought they would be a lead contender for Schroder after he continued to preach that he was worth a four-year, $80 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers.

However, as time has dragged on and the Lakers committed to Russell Westbrook, Schroder’s options have become limited.

He’s now faced with a decision:

Either he can take less money with the Boston Celtics, prove himself, and go into next summer seeking the same extension he was this summer…or he can take a lot of cash from a bottom feeder and be a rich loser.

I can’t imagine either scenario is particularly ideal for Schroder and his camp, considering they thought they could have it both ways at the start of the summer. In any case, Schroder is faced with a reality which he’ll soon have to confront, and the Boston Celtics need to be ready for his decision.

There are a few possibilities if Schroder chooses Bean Town, one of which is a sign and trade. Although it’s unlikely this outcome happens for multiple reasons, with the Lakers maintaining the German Guard’s bird rights, it remains a plausible outcome.

Let’s see a few ways the Cs could pull off a sign and trade with the Lakers and Schroder.

First and foremost, the Lakers could take a page out of the Boston Celtics’ book and perform the sign and trade to form a TPE. Schroder, like Gordon Hayward, has no intention of returning, but the Lakers have the best chance of bringing him back with his bird rights.

Instead of playing a useless long game, LA can take advantage of the rights by sign and trading him and forming a TPE to use later in the season. The Lakers would have to throw in a second-round pick or two to entice the Celts into taking the deal, but ultimately it’s the best outcome for both sides.

The Lakers get off an unhappy point guard and get a traded player exception to use at the deadline or next offseason, while the Cs get a capable two-way guard on a bargain of a deal.

A few things about sign-and-trades get lost in the mix, but those details are why I don’t see a sign-and-trade happening between the Boston Celtics and LA Lakers.

Firstly, the player that is signed and traded has to be signed to a three-year deal, something the Cs have made clear they have no intention of doing. Brad Stevens has made it clear he wants no unnecessary money on the books next summer, and doing a sign and trade contradicts that goal.

Secondly, the team taking on the signed player is hard-capped for the remainder of the season. Although the Boston Celtics have had a relatively quiet offseason, it doesn’t mean they aren’t looking to improve, which goes for the trade deadline in February. If the Cs performed a sign and trade, they wouldn’t be able to use either of their TPE’s they created this offseason at the deadline without moving money that they don’t have.

Ultimately, Dennis Schroder signing a one-year deal worth the full MLE seems like the most likely scenario. The Boston Celtics will have to free up about $5 million in cap space to access it, but they have time on their side and the assets to do so.

I’m confident the money will be moved, and Schroder will be signed when the season rolls around. So don’t fret; the Celts won’t be moving Marcus Smart and a first-round pick for Schroder.