Will Dennis Schröder make it through his first season with the Boston Celtics?
The Celtics signed Schröder to a one-year, $5.9 million contract over the offseason -- a bargain for a player with his talent -- but Boston is unraveling, to the point where a shake-up feels inevitable ahead of the Feb. 10 NBA trade deadline.
Schröder, in that case, is a logical trade candidate. He's set to become a free agent after the 2021-22 campaign, and it seems unlikely he'll re-sign with Boston given that he'll probably obtain a more lucrative offer on the open market. After all, he has performed well this season despite the Celtics' struggles.
John Hollinger, a well-known basketball analytics guru, in a piece published Thursday in The Athletic highlighted seven players who could dictate the NBA trade deadline. Schröder was among the names mentioned, with Hollinger pointing to two potential landing spots for the offensively gifted guard: the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Dallas Mavericks.
Here's what Hollinger wrote.
On the Cavaliers:
Given recent events, a Schröder trade to Cleveland almost makes too much sense. The Cavs can't offer a ton of tax relief because they're so close to the line themselves, but the combined salaries of Kevin Pangos and Dean Wade are enough to offset Schröder's salary in a trade and save Boston $2.5 million. Is Cleveland willing to throw in a second-round pick for a rental?
On the Mavericks:
The other team to watch here is Dallas, where there is a ready-made fit because of the earlier Josh Richardson deal between the teams. That left the Mavs with a $10.9 million trade exception that could easily accommodate Schröder, in return for a future second; adding (Juancho) Hernangomez to the deal and sending Trey Burke and Frank Ntilikina to Boston would get the Celtics all the way out of the tax, though that might be a tougher sell from the Dallas end.
Of course, more teams could jump into the mix for Schröder, a 28-year-old who spent five seasons with the Atlanta Hawks, two seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder and one season with the Los Angeles Lakers before landing with Boston. And the Celtics theoretically could keep Schröder, especially if their fortunes change over the next six weeks.
But the longer Boston struggles, the more likely it becomes that Schröder is moved before the deadline.
