Nets' Dennis Schroder could emerge as top point guard target on trade market
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Dennis Schroder’s future with the Brooklyn Nets is uncertain, but one thing is clear: he’s playing like one of the NBA’s top point guards early this season.
Despite a precarious situation as a veteran on a rebuilding squad, Schroder has emerged as the Nets’ leader. The floor general is off to one of the best starts of his career, averaging 22.5 points and 8.3 assists per game on 49/52/83 shooting splits. Only two NBA players are averaging over 20 points and eight assists while shooting over 40 percent from the field this season: Schroder and Nikola Jokic.
Off the floor, Schroder has set the tone for Brooklyn’s younger players. The 30-year-old embraced head coach Jordi Fernandez’s emphasis on conditioning throughout training camp. He also stuck up for Ben Simmons after a fan heckled the Aussie following a loss to the Orlando Magic.
"He’s done it on a winning team, he’s done it in international basketball, and he’s done it here again,” Fernandez said of Schroder. “So [he brings] toughness, leadership, a coach on the floor, everything.”
While the Nets have made it clear they value Schroder’s leadership, he could play his way off the team via the trade market.
Dennis Schroder could emerge as Nets’ top trade candidate
The German point guard is among several Nets veterans, including Cam Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith, who could be on the move with the team pivoting to a rebuild.
Schroder is the only one of the three in the final year of his contract after Brooklyn acquired him for Spencer Dinwiddie at last year’s trade deadline. After changing teams seven times in the last seven seasons, the 12-year veteran has voiced his desire to remain in Brooklyn long-term.
However, if his high-level play continues leading up to the trade deadline, the Nets may receive an offer they can’t refuse.
"I know how this business works,” Schroder said. “At the end of the day, to be able to play in the best league in the world, that’s a blessing, and I'm always grateful for it… Whenever a decision is made, I just go with it and always remind myself that it's the best league in the world. So it doesn't matter where [I’m playing]. Even if I get traded, I always gotta see the positive side of it.”
While it’s early, the Orlando Magic could be a fit for Schroder. Orlando struggled to find production at point guard during last year’s first-round loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Schroder would offer a battle-tested option with 68 postseason appearances under his belt. He already has excellent chemistry with German national teammates Franz Wagner and Moe Wagner. The Magic have several draft picks and young prospects they could include in a deal.
While Schroder’s hot start will generate buzz in the trade rumor mill, Fernandez said his team is focused on the task at hand.
"I can speak what we’re trying to do here, and it’s build,” the head coach said. “We have a vision where we want to build something special. And the cool thing is, from ownership to management to coaching, the vision, it’s been pretty clear. The guys know. And at the end of the day, when you see that work every day, and you see them compete on the court, I think that all these questions and everything, trade talk going on, it doesn’t matter.”
“It’s part of the business, but how hard they play out there, that’s all that matters. And they're doing it for each other, and they’re doing it for themselves. So at the end of the day, I’m very happy with what we’re doing."
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