Getty Russell Westbrook, Los Angeles Lakers
If the Los Angeles Lakers do find a buyer for Russell Westbrook this season, they’re going to be a little thin at the guard position.
However, according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, one of their former ball handler could be the perfect fit for their current roster, and he just so happens to be a free agent.
“Whatever went south between Schröder and the Lakers on an extension back in 2020-21 is water under the bridge. He’s a known quantity and probably the best available free agent. The Lakers don’t need him as situated, but if a Westbrook trade comes to pass that also costs the team Nunn, a Beverley and Schröder pairing is reasonable,” Pincus wrote in his September 13 article.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard of a potential reunion between Schroder and the Lakers, as NBA Reporter Marc Stein postulated something similar in the August 23 edition of his SteinLine newsletter.
Re-signing free agent guard Dennis Schröder is a “legit consideration” for the Lakers, league sources say, depending on how the rest of their roster develops.
After one season as a Laker, Schröder played for Boston and Houston in 2021-22.
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Since leaving Los Angeles last summer, Dennis Schroder has floated around the league, spending the first half of the 2021-22 season with the Boston Celtics before being traded to the Houston Rockets as part of the deal to land Daniel Theis.
During his first spell for the Lakers, Schroder averaged 15.4 points, 5.8 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game while shooting 34.4% from the perimeter and 47.6% from two-point range. Similar to Westbrook, Schroder requires the ball in his hands to be at his best, but his shooting ability, coupled with a quick first step to attack off the rip-through, both lend themselves to Braunschweig native being more successful in an off-ball role that what we could expect from Westbrook.
Schroder Leads Germany to FIBA Championship
While he may not have his NBA future resolved at present, Schroder has put that to one side as focuses on helping Germany succeed during the FIBA EuroBasket competition.
Over his five games in the tournament, Schroder has averaged 19 points, 2.6 rebounds, and seven assists per game while shooting 37.4% from the field – although his 22.2% shooting from deep may be a slight cause for concern.
Dennis Schroder was a walking highlight reel against Montenegro 🤩
Germany is set to face Greece in the quarter-finals on Tuesday, September 13, with the winner progressing to face either Spain or Finland in the semi’s on Friday, September 16. Of course, success in the European competition won’t dictate what type of contract Schroder could receive from teams around the NBA, but it wouldn’t hurt his chances of finding a new home either.
Lakers Pricing Themselves Out of Trade Discussions
It’s no secret that the Utah Jazz is entering a rebuild, meaning they’re willing to entertain offers for all of their aging players – assuming the price is right. We’ve already seen Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell packaged in some mega deals, and now Mike Conley, Jordan Clarkson, and Bogdan Bogdanovic appear to be next in line.
However, according to The Athletic’s Tony Jones, the Lakers and Jazz have reached an impasse in their trade talks, as neither is willing to meet the other team’s demands – despite multiple attempts to work out a potential framework.
Report: Lakers and Jazz have exchanged trade offers, remain ‘far apart’ in talks
“They’ve been talking to the Lakers. The Jazz made an offer to the Lakers. The Lakers made a counteroffer to the Jazz. Those two offers were far apart, and I don’t know that there’s going to be enough of a gap to be bridged in order for a trade to happen there.
I can tell you that the Jazz were seeking one of Los Angeles’ first-round picks, but the asking price for that first-round pick is probably too much for what the Jazz are willing to pay,” Jones said when appearing on a September 10 episode of The Drive with Spencer Checketts.
If Los Angeles is unable to agree to terms with the Jazz and fails to find another suitor for Westbrook, that could be bad news for all parties involved – including Schroder. Luckily, there is a long time between now and the trade deadline, and as we all know, once two teams commit to making a deal happen, things move incredibly fast. As for now, we all have to play the waiting game.