Getty Dennis Schroder is linked to the Clippers in Bleacher Report's latest trade proposal.
With Kawhi Leonard out, trade rumors are likely going to surround the Los Angeles Clippers until the trade deadline hits.
Despite the fact that head coach Ty Lue has spoken very highly of the current group of players he has heading into the 2021-22 NBA season, there are going to be hypotheticals posed about which players the Clippers could add to both keep them afloat while Kawhi recovers from ACL surgery — players that could also potentially help take them to that next level, finally making them a championship team.
The latest trade NBA trade proposal, courtesy of Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley, has the Clippers landing an intriguing journeyman guard.
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Clips Land Dennis Schröder in Latest BR Trade Proposal
Buckley has L.A. acquiring Boston Celtics guard Dennis Schröder in his latest trade proposal. A 17th overall pick for the Atlanta Hawks in 2013, Schröder spent five years in Atlanta before heading to play in Oklahoma City for two years. He landed with the Lakers last season, starting 61 games while playing a career-high 32.1 minutes and averaging 15.4 points a game.
Schröder inked a one-year, $5.9 million taxpayer mid-level exception contract with the Celtics this August, but Buckley thinks the Clippers should try to acquire him. Who does he think the Clippers should offer up in return?
- Los Angeles Clippers receive: Dennis Schröder
- Boston Celtics receive: Nicolas Batum and a 2022 second-round pick.
Would This Even Make Sense for the Clippers?
Here’s Buckley’s logic for why this trade would be good for L.A.:
The Clippers met Reggie Jackson’s postseason re-emergence with the proper skepticism. They believed it enough to bring him back, but they didn’t shower him with cash (two years, $21.6 million), and they still brokered a deal for Eric Bledsoe. L.A. could continue safeguarding the point guard spot by swinging a deal for Schröder, who might challenge Jackson and Marcus Morris Sr. for second-scorer status until (or if) Kawhi Leonard returns. Schröder is an offensive weapon. His one-and-done run with the Los Angeles Lakers probably goes down as a disappointment, and he still wrapped it with per-game averages of 15.4 points and 5.8 assists.
Schröder has averaged 14.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists over his eight years in the league, and he would certainly make an interesting addition to the Clippers backcourt, particularly with Bledsoe in the picture. Adding him and subtracting the aging and replaceable Batum would help with something Lue says his team needs to improve: playing faster.
“Our transition defense still has got to get better,” Lue said on October 13, via Mirjam Swanson of The O.C. Register. “We’re getting back in transition, but we’re not getting matched, we’re just trying to run to our own man. In transition you don’t have a man, so we got to understand that and get better in that regard.”
“You see a lot of teams are playing faster now, getting the ball out quick, advanced passing, attacking,” Lue added. “And the way Golden State’s playing right now, they’re playing really fast. So we got to make sure we get back in transition.”
While some recent trade proposals have the Clips spending the farm on players like Ben Simmons, this one could be a low-risk, high-reward for Lue and company. These hypothetical trades rarely if ever come to fruition, but if they did, this one likely wouldn’t be a bad one for the Clips.
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