The Boston Celtics need to trade Dennis Schroder
Boston.com
Dennis Schroder has been a welcomed edition for this Boston Celtics team. He’s had 30-point games, kept the team afloat during Jaylen Brown’s absence, and is proving to be a quality third option on this team. The German guard is well on his way to earning a nice contract next season.
This is exactly why the Celtics should trade him.
The Boston Celtics need to trade Dennis Schroder
Brad Stevens signed Schroder on a one-year $5.9 million deal this offseason. This was mere months after the guard reportedly turned down a four-year, roughly $80 million offer from the Los Angeles Lakers. Needless to say, the signing was seen as a steal. However, this means that Schroder will enter free agency again next summer.
With how he’s been playing this season, Schroder is going to command a hefty payday next offseason. He might earn somewhere around $20 million per year if the right team feels like paying him. Even if that number dips down to around $10-$15 million, though, the C’s still wouldn’t be able to afford it. This basically makes Schroder a one-year rental.
So, if there’s no chance he’ll be on the team next season, why keep him around past the trade deadline? Sure, there’s an argument that the team should strive to stay competitive, but losing Schroder won’t make them the worst team in the NBA. They’ll get worse, but if this team isn’t good enough to win a championship this season anyway (which it likely isn’t), then what’s the point in keeping him around?
A lot of teams around the league would love to have a one-year rental as cheap as Schroder, particularly those who believe themselves to be title contenders. Or even those who could have enough money to keep him around next year. Look at teams such as the Dallas Mavericks and LA Clippers. Both of those squads could use a guy like Schroder.
Now, the C’s likely wouldn’t get much back. In all likelihood, they would receive a first-round pick and a cheap veteran player. However, if Schroder is going to leave anyway, then why not capitalize on his value?
Plus, the way Schroder plays doesn’t necessarily fit with the style of basketball the Celtics want to play.
Out of every player on the Celtics, most fans would agree that Jayson Tatum should have the ball in his hands the most. Well, while Tatum has the highest usage rate on the team, it’s actually Schroder who leads the team in touches per game. To make matters worse, whenever the German point guard gets the ball, the game stalls to a halt.
Whenever he touches the ball, the game seems to slow down. He dribbles at the top of the key for the majority of the shot clock and runs a two-man game. Schroder averages 5.04 seconds every tough. That’s nearly a second and a half more than Tatum (3.65) and Jaylen Brown (3.23). In that sense, he quite literally hurts their ball movement.
What Boston should be doing is whipping the ball around the perimeter, cutting to the hoop, and moving off the ball. Schroder’s ball dominance doesn’t help with that.
This isn’t to say that Schroder isn’t good, he just doesn’t fit well when both Tatum and Brown are healthy. He did a great job of helping weather the storm during Brown’s injury, but now that Brown is healthy again, Schroder’s effectiveness will seriously deteriorate.
All-in-all, with his contract being up after this season, and the fit not being ideal, trading Schroder away would be in the best interest of the Celtics. Stevens should capitalize on his value while he can instead of letting him walk for nothing.
