The NBA Trade Deadline is in full swing during its twilight hours, and the Boston Celtics have yet to get in on the action.
That said, being that they hold one of the most intriguing players rumored to be on the trade block in Dennis Schroder, this narrative could quickly change should they wish it to, as there are a bevy of teams across the league that are reportedly interested in potentially acquiring his services.
Perhaps the most intriguing destination that we could see the veteran guard heading to is actually a former employer of his in the Los Angeles Lakers who, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, have shown interest in a potential reunion.
After infamously turning down an $84 million extension early on last season, as he intended to bet on himself and look to attain a higher-priced contract during his free agency period, Schroder ultimately underwhelmed overall on the year, especially during LA’s one-and-done playoff series and, in turn, was forced to settle for a mere one-year, $5.9 million deal with the Boston Celtics.
Now, with his production this season (14.4 points, 4.2 assists, 3.8 rebounds on 35 percent shooting from deep) coupled with his steal of a salary, it seems as though the Lakers are now once again interested in having his talents grace their roster and, should they actually wish to pursue him via trade, we believe this multi-team deal between LA, Boston, and the New York Knicks could be worth considering for all parties involved:
For the Lakers, obviously, they bring back Schroder to either serve as Russell Westbrook‘s backup (a role in which he has proven to thrive in when both were suiting up for the OKC Thunder back in 2018-19) or, perhaps a bit bolder, as the new starting floor general where, when serving as the starting one for the Boston Celtics this season, he’s only managed to excel (18.6 points, five assists, 3.9 boards on 49 percent shooting from the field and 38 percent shooting from deep).
LA also is seen bringing on spark-plug sixth-man, Alec Burks, from New York to help bolster their second-unit punch.
The Knicks see themselves bringing on both Talen Horton-Tucker and Bruno Fernando, with the former obviously being the main draw in the deal.
At just 21-years-old, THT has proven himself to be a highly promising two-way talent with the ideal physical tools (6-4 with a 7-0 wingspan) to grow into a tremendous on-ball defender.
Though he may not have a consistent jumper as of yet (converts on just 28 percent of his long-range attempts for his career), he’s already proven himself to be virtually an unstoppable force when putting the jets on and attacking the rim. If he were to get his shooting stroke to remain consistent, he could easily develop into a major two-way nightmare for opposing ball clubs to square off against.
The upside is there for Horton-Tucker, and his tough energy and defensive hustle could quickly play his way into the heart of NY’s head coach, Tom Thibodeau.
And, as for the Boston Celtics, we see the team bring on a former top-10 selection in Cam Reddish who, as of late, fans have been surprisingly interested in.
Though he may not have yet lived up to the expectations that come with being a lottery selection in the NBA, the Duke product has certainly shown flashes of being a quality ball-handler and scorer in isolation sets and has shined as an on-ball defender against opposing forwards.
This skill set, coupled with his 6-8 frame with a 7-1 wingspan, projects him to be a quality 3-and-D wing who can also operate with the ball in his hands, a skill set that every team in the league highly covets.
His addition would give the C’s a high-upside wing to have come in and back up Boston’s stars at the position in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and, should he be able to put-fourth the production he was earlier this season when originally with the Atlanta Hawks (11.9 points and 2.5 rebounds on 38 percent shooting from deep), he could be a quality option to have within the second-unit for both this season as well as moving forward.