The Kevin Durant trade saga finally concluding in a fireworks-less finale allows the rest of the NBA to move on to find homes for the remaining free agents on the market who were waiting on the league to shift before signing on with someone. Former Boston Celtics point guard Dennis Schroder is one of the most accomplished names on the market, but there have been no obvious suitors all offseason.
The Los Angeles Lakers may profile as one now that Kyrie Irving is all but off the table in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets — this assuming Irving and Durant are going to make an honest effort to make things work in the ‘Big Apple.’
Schroder was a member of the Lakers during the 2020-21 season when they at least made the playoffs as opposed to the 11th-place finish LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook led them to this past year. He wasn’t deemed a perfect fit, but his stat-line (15.4 points, 5.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds per game) was passable enough to convince L.A.’s front office that he’s worth $84 million.
Schroder, of course, famously passed on that offer and had to settle for the Boston Celtics taxpayer’s mid-level exception during the 2021 NBA offseason. Now, he likely will have to settle for the veteran’s minimum, and the Lakers’ general lack of depth makes a reunion sensible.
Unfortunately, Lake Show Life’s Jason Reed doesn’t see Schroder as a signing worth pursuing, instead championing for Los Angeles to sign Syracuse combo forward Cole Swider over the 28-year-old German floor general:
"“Cole Swider simply adds more to the Los Angeles Lakers than Dennis Schroder would. Los Angeles needs shooting and does not really have a traditional backup four outside of Wenyen Gabriel. Swider has already proven that he is a sharpshooter and he should be ready to contribute NBA minutes right away at 23 years old.”“If Russell Westbrook is not traded then it makes no sense to bring Schroder in over Swider. Schroder would be redundant and would not even get much playing time behind Russell Westbrook.”"
Why the Dennis Schroder trade was such a win for the Boston Celtics
If Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens didn’t act quickly to recoup value for Dennis Schroder at this past February’s trade deadline, perhaps the headline move of the offseason for the Cs never happens.
The Malcolm Brogdon trade doesn’t happen without Daniel Theis’ contract to match for salary purposes on the Indiana Pacers’ end of the deal. Had Stevens and co. not acquired Theis, they wouldn’t have been able to sign-and-trade Schroder to use him in a Brogdon deal.
As Schroder waits out the free agent market looking for a team desperate for scoring and playmaking in the backcourt, Boston Celtics fans can be grateful he never burned the team with the kind of on-court showings he had two seasons ago as LeBron James and Anthony Davis’ third wheel — and that the front office never got stuck with a point guard who teams seemingly don’t covet as September approaches and he remains unsigned here in 2022.