German-German NBA swap
Schröder has to join the team that only wants to lose
Von Seb Dumitru
February 11, 2022, 6:50 p.m
Two German basketball professionals are traded from one team to the other for the second time in a row and the third time in NBA history. Crowd favorite Theis is back in Boston, while Houston is probably just a stopover for Schröder.
A swap with the final siren on the so-called “Trade Deadline” Day in the NBA: a few moments before the end of the 2021-22 transition period, Boston and Houston agreed on a swap deal in which two German veterans were prominently involved. Dennis Schröder was sent to the Rockets, in exchange national team colleague Daniel Theis was allowed to return to Boston.
The native of Lower Saxony has played there before: from the beginning of his NBA career in 2017 until his move in 2021, the 29-year-old became one of the crowd’s favorites thanks to his inspired, fighting style of play. Almost a year ago, Theis was sent to Chicago in a similar deadline deal – in exchange for another compatriot, Moritz Wagner.
Theis finally signed a new three-year contract in Houston in the summer, while Wagner ended up in Orlando via Boston, where he has been shooting baskets with his brother Franz since this season. In the Rockets, a very young team in transition, Theis (8.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per game) played no role after initial appearances as a starter.
Schröder only exchange goods
That should change drastically when he returns to Boston. His former head coach Brad Stevens is now team president and Ime Udoka is the new head coach. Boston continues to play the same defensive basketball. And was urgently looking for a center that could strengthen the rotation of the playoff-ambitious record champions. Appearance: the mobile, smart team defender with a reliable jump shot, simply Theis.
The deadline was less pleasant for his good friend and former teammate at the Basketball Löwen Braunschweig. Point guard Schröder signed a minimally short, $5.9 million one-year contract in Boston last summer after the fiasco surrounding his failed contract extension with the LA Lakers (four years / $84 million). His goal: to rehabilitate himself with good performances, especially on the bright playoff stage, and to position himself for a more lucrative deal from 2022.
In Boston, a well-established team with a clear hierarchy, the man from Braunschweig rarely went beyond the role of noble reservist and bench dynamo. In 49 games, he averaged a solid 14.4 points, 4.2 assists, and 0.8 steals. On occasion, he helped the Celtics win with outstanding individual performances, such as in the 122-113 win over reigning NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks when Schroeder scored 38 points. For Stevens and Udoka, however, the German was always primarily a substitute and an expiring contract – a popular poker tool in the annual manager haggling over squad upgrades and future flexibility.
Last Exit: “Buyout”
Dennis Schröder’s deal ends next summer. Sportingly, he does nothing for the Rockets, as the Texans not only rely on their youngsters, but also want to lose as many games as possible in order to position themselves ideally for the annual talent lottery. A “buyout”, i.e. buying out directly from the existing contract, would make the most sense for everyone involved. Then Schröder could join a team in the playoff and title race. In the past few days and weeks, he has been associated primarily with the Bucks, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers and Dallas Mavericks. The NBA Playoffs begin April 22; final deadline to sign and be eligible to play with a new team is March 1, 2022.
After the Theis/Wagner trade a year ago, it was the third trade in NBA history in which two teams exchanged two German basketball players for one another. As early as 1990, the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs agreed to trade two “West German centers” to give their seasons new impetus. Born in Munich, Uwe Blab went to Texas, while Chris Welp from Delmenhorst moved to California. For both it was their last stop in the National Basketball Association.