In his first offseason in the front office for the Boston Celtics, Brad Stevens’ home run signing was Dennis Schroder, but recent events suggest that the point guard may contribute to the rookie President of Basketball Operations’ first home run at the deadline.
Recently, it was reported that the Cs likely will be listening to calls on Schroder as the deadline approaches and teams start to look at whether or not they can contend.
Currently, the Celtics sit at 10th in the Eastern Conference standings. They’re coming off a tough road trip out west where they were missing Jaylen Brown but lost to teams that were also missing star players themselves.
Boston was abysmal over their road trip. The defense slacked, and the offense fell off after a strong start against the Jazz and Trail Blazers.
Brown can patch a few holes, but most of the team’s woes go deeper than one missing guy.
Frankly, the Boston Celtics can’t contend with their current roster. It’s too cluttered, doesn’t have nearly enough shooting, and doesn’t have consistent firepower.
A front three of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Dennis Schroder isn’t a contender, especially when the guys behind them aren’t elite pieces.
If the Celtics want to contend with Tatum and Brown at the helm, they need a deeper, more balanced roster with a better third wheel.
They can’t get that this year, and if any of the previous seasons have taught us anything, they can’t act like they can.
Danny Ainge ruined the C’s depth by holding onto his cards too long — Brad Stevens cannot make that same mistake.
This article will look at three teams that could be Dennis Schroder suitors and what the Boston Celtics can expect in return.
The Utah Jazz are title contenders. They have an elite offense, with copious amounts of shooting, high IQ rotational players, and one of the most balanced front threes in the league between Donovan Mitchell, Mike Conley, and Rudy Gobert.
Utah has high-level rim pressure, pull-up shooting, crisp passing, and creative playmaking between those three. However, they don’t have a title to show despite employing them for three seasons because of what goes on on the other side of the ball.
For years now, the Jazz have been a perennial second-round exit despite finishing atop the Western Conference in those same years because of their defense.
In the regular season they’re elite, but in the playoffs they fall apart.
Ignorantly, most have attributed Utah’s struggles to Rudy Gobert, but in reality, the fault lies on the team’s perimeter defenders. The Jazz have never had the proper resistance to keep stars from getting where they want, and with most teams playing five-out schemes, there’s nothing Rudy Gobert has been able to do.
Enter Dennis Schroder.
He fits perfectly within Utah’s offense as a pick-and-roll ball-handler that can get downhill and hit rollers at the rim.
He can capitalize off advantages on the perimeter with his ball skills and occasionally hit a spot-up triple. He’s more of a point guard than Clarkson and more experienced than Jared Butler.
He’s Conley’s ideal backup.
Most importantly, Schroder would be Utah’s best point of attack defender. While Royce O’Neal takes on the forwards, Schroder could handle the opposing team’s backcourts.
The two could provide enough resistance to allow Gobert to help at the rim without having to leave his man long enough for the other team to find them. With the Jazz looking to go for it all, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Boston Celtics could get a first-round pick and more for the veteran.
The Milwaukee Bucks make a little less sense than the Jazz because of the imminent return of Donte DiVincenzo, but their thirst to go back to back along with Schroder’s seamless fit with the club warrants them a spot on this list.
Jrue Holiday coming out just for Dennis Schroder to replace him is something the Bucks do not want to pass up on.
Last season, the Bucks stormed past the Suns after going down 0-2 using their size. Deandre Ayton had no answers for Giannis, and Phoenix had no answer for Bobby Portis.
The two wreaked havoc in the post and the paint by rolling out of pick-and-rolls and cutting to the rim. With the Bucks shooting, the Suns couldn’t quickly help off of Giannis, leaving him one on one with a runway.
Now, the Bucks’ shooting is even better.
Add Schroder to the mix, and what do you get? Well, he’s not the floor spacer DiViencenzo or Grayson Allen is, but he’s a better scorer and passer than both.
Milwaukee can take advantage of his pick-and-roll play with Giannis to run away with the points in the paint title night in and night out.
That might not sound significant, but come playoff time a team’s ability to get easy baskets is often the difference between a playoff loss and a playoff win. Name an easier shot than a dunk for Giannis.
I’m not sure what the Bucks could give the Boston Celtics in return, considering they traded away most of their picks for Jrue Holiday. Whatever it is they agree to, so long as the Boston Celtics retain assets they can use for later moves that equal or exceed Schroder’s value, then they’ve come out of the deal with a win.
Last on the list is the Washington Wizards.
After a hot start, the Wizards have crashed back down to earth but are maintaining good standing in the Eastern Conference with a record of 15-12.
There’s no telling how much better they’d be if Bradley Beal were playing like he was last season. Still, the Wizards have had better surprises this season, such as the rise of Montrez Harrell, the success of Wes Unseld, and Spencer Dinwiddie’s impact.
With Beal’s contract extension looming over the club, the Wizard’s management might see making the playoffs as a way to convince him to stay. Since the Wizards drafted Beal, he’s never seen a Conference Finals and has seen multiple years in the lottery despite putting up All-Star numbers year in and year out.
He’s improved his game, but Washington has yet to show they can improve theirs. This year could be the year that changes, but only if Washington can stay afloat.
Adding Schroder to the mix would significantly improve the Wizards’ chances of securing not only a spot in the playoffs but maybe even giving them a puncher’s chance in a series.
Between Dinwiddie, Beal, and Schroder, the Wizards will pound teams at the rim, and they’ll be helpless with their shooting stretching the floor. Schroder, KCP, Kuzma, and Gafford will keep teams in half-court hell on the other side of the ball.
I like Schroder’s fit with Washington, and I think they have the most to give when it comes to assets. Although trading to a former playoff rival may not seem like the best idea, I think the Boston Celtics should consider giving them a call depending on what they can get back.