Getty Rob Pelinka, Lakers GM
The NBA trade deadline came and went once again without a move from the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers can still be active in the buyout market and one former starter could be on Los Angeles’ short list. According to The Athletic’s Bill Oram, the Lakers explored making a trade with the Celtics for former starting point guard Dennis Schröder.
The trade talks fell through and the veteran was later dealt to the Rockets. The Lakers may still have a chance to add the guard as Schroder is a potential buyout candidate. Despite opting not to trade for Schroder, The Athletic’s Jovan Buha reported the team would consider signing the guard if he receives a buyout and becomes a free agent.
“The Lakers explored the possibility of trading for Schröder at the trade deadline, as The Athletic’s Bill Oram reported,” Buha explained on February 11. “While there remains some division internally among the Lakers’ decision-makers regarding Schröder after his uncomfortable departure last summer, there is interest in bringing him back as a backup point guard, according to league sources.”
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📽️ “NBA Today”
The Lakers would need to release a player in order to make room to sign Schroder or another buyout player. Buha added that DeAndre Jordan is the most likely candidate to be cut given his short tenure with the Lakers has been underwhelming.
“As things stand, the Lakers have the league maximum of 15 players on their roster, meaning they will have to waive or buy out one of their players to make room for a free agent,” Buha explained.
“The most obvious candidate to waive or buy out is Jordan, who’s fallen out of the rotation and doesn’t fit stylistically with the Lakers’ small-ball ethos. Jordan is technically the fourth-string center behind Davis, James and Howard, but he’s arguably slotted as the seventh-string center when the team is at full strength, behind the aforementioned names as well as Stanley Johnson, Carmelo Anthony and Trevor Ariza, who have each logged center minutes in smaller lineups.”
Schroder May Not Receive a Buyout
Since the trade deadline has passed, the Lakers would need Schroder and the Rockets to agree to a buyout to add the guard. Otherwise, the Lakers will have to wait until the offseason to have another chance when Schroder will again be a free agent. USA Today’s Ben DuBose reported the early indications are the Rockets are not planning to give Schroder a buyout.
“[Rockets general manager] Rafael Stone says he’s had a ‘couple good conversations’ with Dennis Schroder already and praised his value as a basketball player, so it doesn’t sound as if a buyout is the plan,” DuBose tweeted on February 11.
Schroder’s time with the Lakers was complicated as he opted to bet on himself rather than sign an extension. After an early playoff exit in 2021, the Lakers decided to trade for Russell Westbrook, essentially closing the door on Schroder returning. Schroder later signed a one-year, $5.8 million contract with the Celtics, much less than he was expecting to make.