Getty LaMelo Ball #2 of the Charlotte Hornets drives to the basket past Dennis Schroder #71 of the Boston Celtics.
Former Boston Celtics guard Dennis Schroder has remained a free agent throughout the duration of the 2022 NBA Offseason. After the Celtics traded him to the Houston Rockets at the trade deadline, Schroder has not caught on with anyone yet. With training camp coming up next month, many have wondered where he’s going next or if he will even have his next team lined up.
Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report listed Schroder as one of the better free agents still on the market while also naming who he believes could be Schroder’s next team – the Charlotte Hornets.
“Schröder finished second in Sixth Man of the Year voting in 2020. And on the right team, his attack-first game could lift a second unit. The Charlotte Hornets, who still have access to the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($10.5 million), might be that team. Right now, LaMelo Ball is the only real point guard on the roster. And with his 6’7″ size, he could probably share the floor with Schröder for stretches.”
Schroder signed a one-year deal with the Celtics worth $5,890,000 last summer, according to Spotrac, so signing a deal like that would be a raise. Schroder, however, was less productive in Houston than he was in Boston, as he averaged 10.9 points a game while shooting 39.3 percent from the field and 32.8 percent from three in the 15 games he played for the Rockets. That’s a dropoff from the numbers he put up in 49 games with the Celtics, where he averaged 14.4 points while shooting 44 percent from the field and 34.9 percent from three.
However, his assist average was bumped up from 4.2 to 5.9 despite his minute average lowering from 29.2 a game to 26.9.
Whether Schroder goes to Charlotte or not, it appears they are interested in bringing in former Celtics.
Hornets Interested in Kemba Walker Reunion
On July 25, 2022, Shams Charania reported that the Hornets were interested in bringing Kemba Walker back for another go-round.
“Sources tell me the Charlotte Hornets are considering a reunion with former franchise cornerstone Kemba Walker among other point guards in the free agent marketplace.”
Hornets considering reunion with a former franchise cornerstone, among free-agent options, sources say:
The Hornets have already demonstrated their liking for reunions with past personnel, as they brought back former Head Coach Steve Clifford to coach the team again. At the moment, Walker is still a member of the Detroit Pistons, but there have been rumblings that he will be bought out. Nothing is official as of now.
Walker’s not the only former Celtics point guard that the Hornets are interested in bringing back.
Hornets Interested in Bringing Back Isaiah Thomas
Charania added that the Hornets are interested in bringing back the former Celtics MVP candidate.
In addition to Kemba Walker, the Hornets are also interested in the potential re-signing of Isaiah Thomas, @ShamsCharania writes.
The 33-year-old averaged 8.3 points for Charlotte last year, coming off the bench in 17 games.
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Thomas caught on with the Hornets late in the 2021-22 season, where in 17 games, he averaged 8.3 points while shooting 43.3 percent from the field and 39.7 percent from three-point land.
Thomas vocalized that the desire to run it back with Charlotte is mutual.
The Hornets already have former Celtics Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward on the team, so they may very well be adding more to the mix with potentially Walker, Thomas, or even Schroder if they think he’s worth the money that Bailey brought up earlier.