Should the Boston Celtics continue to remain mired in the middle of the pack in the Eastern Conference, we know that this team will likely make a midseason shakeup to change the course of the 2021-22 campaign.
We know this because it has been discussed by somebody very close to the operations of the franchise.
NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg has mentioned Dennis Schroder by name as someone we can see dealt before the trade deadline if things didn’t improve.
Three weeks ago, he said this:
"If the Celtics are lingering in the bottom half of the East playoff bracket (or worse) as the calendar flips to 2022, then maybe the team is more inclined to examine trade opportunities with veteran-craving rivals. Schroder’s value to a contender, even as an expiring deal, could help the Celtics fetch draft assets that might be valuable if they desire to trade for an impact talent to pair with Brown and Jayson Tatum further down the road."
If the Cs are looking to move Schroder, it’s plausible that the goal in any trade is to find a player at the same position who has a chance of contributing to Boston beyond this season.
Here are 3 point guards Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens could swap Schroder for:
Boston Celtics Dennis Schroder PG trade option #1: T.J. McConnell
T.J. McConnell is a much different type of player than Dennis Schroder, hunting for roughly half as many shots as the German floor general.
McConnell is not the shooter that Schroder is, but their facilitation numbers are similar even with the former playing ten less minutes per game.
While McConnell’s salary is a tad higher than Schroder’s, he comes with three additional seasons under contract. Two of those are guaranteed, with his $9.3 million salary for 2024-25 only being guaranteed for $5 million.
A swap of the two could land the Cs additional assets if the Indiana Pacers are the ones that want to get off of McConnell’s long-term money. Indy may want to simply clear the deck and prepare for a more dedicated rebuild.