Getty Dennis Schroder defends Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks.
The Dallas Mavericks have played extremely well over the past few weeks, winning seven of their last nine games since just after Christmas. However, they still have deficiencies and room for improvement to address between now and the postseason.
With the NBA trade deadline being less than a month away, teams all around the league have decisions to make. Will the Mavs make a splash, or will they roll with their current roster down the stretch?
ESPN’s Bobby Marks released a trade deadline preview on January 13, highlighting deals he’d like to see happen. For the Mavs, he pinpointed Dennis Schroder as a trade target. If the Boston Celtics were to look to trade him, Dallas could make sense as a landing spot.
What would that deal look like? Would Schroder fit on the current roster and be worth a trade?
Trade Logistics
Over the summer, Dallas traded away Josh Richardson, which created a $10.8 million trade exception. If the Mavericks were wanting to acquire Schroder, they could absorb his contract into that exception.
In Marks’ proposed trade, the Celtics would get back the Mavericks’ second-round picks in 2022 and 2024.
GettyDennis Schroder of the Boston Celtics.
While trading away a dynamic scorer for second rounders seems strange for Boston initially, this deal would put the Celtics under the luxury tax. A team that finished last season at .500 and currently sits at 21-21 this season, perhaps saving money and building for future seasons makes sense for Boston.
As solid as Schroder is, he’s on an expiring deal and likely won’t be on the Celtics’ roster next season. This certainly hurts his trade value, as he would only be a rental for any team that is interested in his services.
Logistically, the Mavericks have the ability to acquire Schroder for fairly cheap.
Schroder’s Value
A guy like Schroder would be a bench spark for the Mavericks. If Jalen Brunson is going to ultimately become a starter on this team, Schroder could fill his old role as a primary reserve scorer.
On the season, he’s averaging 15.9 points and 4.6 assists per contest for the Celtics. The 28-year-old is fairly undersized but in the right role can be extremely effective.
What a beautiful snatch by Dennis Schroeder 🤦🏽♂️ Executed to perfection. Young hoopers notice how he dips his shoulder and gets low to the ground. At the NBA level, creating space is an inches and seconds game.
🎥 @celtics
With how good the Mavs have been defensively of late, additional scoring would only help increase margins of victory, assuming Schroder could be a serviceable defender.
As good as he’s been for Boston, if they’re looking to dump salary, Schroder makes a lot of sense. While Marks’ hypothetical deal involving two second-round picks isn’t necessarily something the Celtics would accept, it is a good starting point. They’re in an interesting spot where they’ll need to decide what type of team they want to be positioned to be in the second half of the season.
For a team like Dallas that’s looking to make a major push this season, he could be the perfect fit. Following Doncic signing a max extension over the summer, the Mavericks front office now has even more pressure to win games sooner than later.
Although it would be a rental, trading for Schroder is something the Dallas Mavericks should look into.