Brooklyn in fifth place after eleven games and only 0.5 games away from third place? Hardly anyone would have expected this before the season. The East is significantly weaker this year, but the Nets are better than expected.
This is of course nice for the fans in the Barclays Center, but it is less conducive to the front office’s ambitions to pick as high as possible in the strong 2025 draft. It is therefore not surprising that NBA insider Marc Stein reported a few days ago that many teams assume that Dennis Schröder, Dorian Finney-Smith and Bojan Bogdanovic will become available before the trade deadline in February.
Brooklyn simply doesn’t want to be good this season, but rather lose as many games as possible in order to secure super talent Cooper Flagg next summer. They made this route clear with the trade of Mikal Bridges to the Knicks and the return of their own pick from the Rockets in the summer.
Schröder is not interested in trade rumors
Schröder himself was unimpressed by the trade rumors before the Nets’ win over the Pelicans on Tuesday. “I’ve been in the league for twelve years and there have been trade rumors about me for twelve years. That’s just part of it and doesn’t interest me. I do my job here every day and do my best. Whatever happens, happens,” said he of the NY Post.
In the past, Schröder, who will become an unrestricted free agent in the summer, has emphasized several times that he would like to stay in Brooklyn long-term. However, the best start to the season of his career so far (20.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, 6.6 assists per game, 46.3% from downtown) is calling out some ambitious teams.
Let’s take a closer look at which teams these could be in Schröder’s case and who he could really help.
Los Angeles Lakers
Schröder and LA, shut up the third one? From many perspectives, another Schröder engagement in Hollywood would make sense. D’Angelo Russell is apparently no longer undisputed under JJ Redick and was recently sent to the bench. After his injury, Gabe Vincent is no longer the player who shot Miami into the finals in 2023.
Schröder would be good for the weak backcourt defense, and he is also a good creator and knows the interaction with LeBron and Davis inside out. Whether the Lakers can (and want to) offer much is another question.
The salaries wouldn’t be a problem, but for the German one of the holy first-round picks would certainly have to travel across the USA…
Orlando Magic
A German quartet in Orlando? That would be something. And the whole thing isn’t even impossible. Since the loss of Paolo Banchero, the Magic have noticeably lacked creation, with the two point guards Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony preferring to throw rather than pass.
Since then, Franz Wagner has had to do a lot to build up the game; another playmaker from the bench would definitely do the team good. The Wagner brothers will certainly have put in a good word for their DBB captain; the interaction here is at least guaranteed.
It’s also interesting that a trade would be pretty straightforward; Schröder’s $13 million could be matched with Anthony’s $12.9 million, who at 24 would also fit better into the young Nets’ timeline.
Milwaukee Bucks
When it comes to teams that desperately need another point guard, the Bucks naturally immediately come to mind. After the 2-8 start, the construction sites in Milwaukee are huge, apart from Giannis and Dame, almost everything is missing. An experienced player like Schröder could bring much-needed rest and throw the offense in the non-Lillard minutes. When the superstar sits down, things often look really bleak.
However, the Bucks don’t have much to offer, their hands are tied by the second apron. They cannot combine multiple salaries or absorb more salary than they give out. The only option would therefore be to give up Bobby Portis or Brook Lopez. But who else should play in the big positions?
Phoenix Suns
The Suns finally look like the team that was imagined in the preseason, and an important building block for this is Tyus Jones, who enriches the team incredibly with his playmaking. The point guard keeps a clear head in every situation, but he also cannot be on the field for 48 minutes per game.
If Jones sits, the Suns simply lack a man to pull the strings, so Devin Booker usually has to go. He has shown several times in the past that he can do this, but the previous season also showed that this is not his star role. Schröder as a backup off the bench would be a big upgrade and would also provide backcourt defense that goes with Jones.
With the salaries of Grayson Allen or Josh Okogie plus small contracts, the Suns could put something together.
New York Knicks
The Knicks and Nets have been doing things together again since this summer, so why shouldn’t the second player from Brooklyn after Bridges end up with the city rival? As is well known, the Knicks have a strong starting five, but behind that it quickly becomes thin.
There has been a lack of a reliable backup in the playmaker position for years; Schröder could take on this role without any problems. In order to make a deal happen, the Knickerbockers would probably have to come to the realization that they no longer needed Mitchell Robinson. If fit, he would definitely also be interesting for the Nets. NY also has two trade exceptions up its sleeve.
