Getty Dennis Schroder, Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are still one trade away from getting under the luxury tax, which has long been their rumored plan leading up to the trade deadline.
Dennis Schroder is a player whose name has consistently been linked with a possible trade away from the team. The speedy point guard’s short-term contract and team-friendly salary make him the perfect candidate for the Celtics to move on from and save themselves a luxury tax bill in the process.
Schroder’s departure would also free up developmental minutes for sophomore guard Payton Pritchard, who has found his chances limited this season and is currently considered the team’s third-string guard.
According to ESPN’S Bobby Marks, the Celtics are limited in their ability to retain the Braunschweig native due to not holding his bird rights, and that’s a similar issue any team that acquires Schroder will also face at the end of the season.
I am 95% trade Dennis Schroder.
We cannot resign him in the offseason, he could get you a solid return, I don’t like his fit with the Jays
“The Celtics are restricted in what they can offer him (up to $7.1 million) in a new contract in July,” Marks wrote, “Any team that trades for Schroder will have the same limit in re-signing him unless that team has cap space or the full non-taxpayer midlevel exception in the offseason.”
However, it would seem that specific teams around the league are still interested in trading for the veteran guard, primarily due to the impact he can provide off the bench during the playoffs.
Celtics Have Two Offers on the Table for Schroder
According to the Action Network’s Matt Moore, two Eastern Conference teams have trade offers for Schroder ‘sitting on the table,’ which could mean the Celtics moving on from their second-string guard is imminent.
“There are two offers on the table for Dennis Schröder according to multiple sources, one from the Milwaukee Bucks and another from the Chicago Bulls,” Moore wrote.
“What does Brooklyn want? They’re not going to pivot towards a rebuild.”
@hpbasketball talks with league execs about unfolding drama between the Nets and 76ers, plus more deadline chatter from around the NBA:
A deal from the Milwaukee Bucks is hard to understand, considering their guard rotation consists of Jrue Holiday and George Hill. However, the Chicago Bulls make far more sense. After adding Nikola Vucevic at last season’s trade deadline and following that up with signing Lonzo Ball, DeMar DeRozan, and Alex Caruso in the off-season, the Bulls are clearly in win-now mode. And adding Schroder to the team’s bench rotation gives them another offensive weapon when the post-season rolls around.
Of course, there will likely be other teams to cast flirtatious glances towards Schroder in the coming days, given how well he has played in Boston, both off the bench and in the starting unit. The only question is, what are the Celtics asking in return for giving up Schroder, as the answer to that question will directly impact how smoothly any potential negotiations progress.
Schroder’s Role in Boston Has Been Diminishing
Since Marcus Smart returned to the Celtics rotation in mid-January, Schroder’s minutes have begun to dwindle. No longer considered part of the Celtics closing line-up, the veteran guard frequently finds himself riding the bench for quarters at a time.
In fact, Schroder has played over 20 minutes of game time once in the Celtics last six games, and that was against the Detroit Pistons on February 4, where Boston held a commanding lead throughout most of the contest. Before that game, Schroder was hovering around the 15-minute per game mark for the previous five games and had seen his scoring and shooting numbers rapidly decline.
Dennis Schroder is a “name to watch” for Chicago at the deadline. (via @MikeAScotto)
Bulls can buy low on Schroder for a second-round pick and a player like Troy Brown Jr.
Between January 21 and February 4, Schroder averaged 5.5 points, 2.9 assists, and 2.4 rebounds per game, numbers far from his season averages of 14.3 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.3 rebounds. Of course, the decline in output directly correlates with Schroder’s decline in playing time, but it also speaks to a change of role for the isolation-heavy point guard.
The 28-year-old guard joined the Celtics to rebuild his value before pursuing a more significant contract during the summer. If the Celtics are minimizing the potential impact, Schroder could have off the bench, he may want to find a new team for the remainder of the season also.
Luckily, the February 10 trade deadline is right around the corner, and it’s unlikely Brad Stevens stands pat and accepts that the current roster is a luxury tax-paying team. Instead, we’re probably going to see at least one deal made, and it would seem Schroder is the likely casualty of Boston’s decision to enter the upcoming off-season with legitimate cap flexibility.