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Since the end of the season, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has stayed pretty quiet. Considering he’s about to have the shortest offseason of his career, he’s probably trying to soak in as much of his vacation as possible. One thing he’s likely to have taken note of is the fact that his team traded for Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dennis Schroder.
The deal hasn’t been made official yet but LeBron is likely happy to get the extra help. According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the superstar has been wanting to play with Schroder.
“They almost traded for him at the deadline in 2019 and they didn’t. There’s been a lot of interest there for a while,” Windhorst said, via Silver Screen & Roll. “The Lakers have wanted, for a while, to get – and I know they’re very different players – but Rob Pelinka has been very interested in Dennis Schröder and very interested in Derrick Rose …
“LeBron really likes his game. LeBron’s wanted to play with him for a while. Like I said, they almost traded for him before.”
Rose would’ve been an interesting fit but Schroder is likely the better pickup. He’s younger and doesn’t have the injury history. LeBron’s gotta be excited to get a really solid backup point guard on the squad.
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Anthony Davis Thinks Schroder Is a Good Fit
Though Anthony Davis has yet to re-sign with the Lakers, he gave his thoughts on the Schroder trade to Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes.
“He’s a great pickup, with Schröder alongside LeBron, and the other guys they decide to acquire or whatever … I think it was a good pickup,” Davis said.
“Like you said, he could easily win sixth man of the year, any given year. He played great alongside [Chris Paul] and Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander]. He’s tough, he shot the ball well this year, he can get in the paint, he can find guys, and he’s very, very scrappy,” he continued.
The biggest thing that Schroder brings the Lakers is a legit third scoring option. While the team had several guys who would step up any given game, it’ll be nice to have a consistent option. Regardless of if the plan is for him to start or come off the bench, he should be the third-leading scorer on the team.
Other Lakers Targets
The Lakers filled their biggest need by trading for Schroder but created a need by trading Danny Green. They really need to find a shooter to replace the veteran. While he’s not an elite 3-point shooter, Wesley Matthews appears to be the guy the Lakers are targeting to replace Green.
It also appears Los Angeles could add a big man. They’ve been linked to Tristan Thompson and Serge Ibaka. The former has a close relationship with LeBron but the latter is probably a better fit. Ibaka is an elite defender who has championship experience. Thompson has also won a championship but his career numbers aren’t as impressive as Ibaka’s.
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