The Los Angeles Lakers have had a great start to the season, going 10-5 over their first 15 games of the season. Even though they fell to a rough loss to the Orlando Magic last night, the franchise has established themselves among teams who are looking like contenders for a top-six seed in the Playoffs. The Lakers weren’t expected by many to be in this position, and now that they are, they must maximize it.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis are producing at a high level, but the franchise is still looking to make the final touches on a roster to make them competitive against other West teams. They could take a step in that direction by making a move for former two-time Lakers point guard Dennis Schroder from the Brooklyn Nets.
Schroder will fill a hole in the Lakers backcourt which has led to Cam Reddish becoming a starter for the franchise while bringing proven complementary play to the style of both LeBron and Davis.
Trade Details
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Dennis Schroder
Brooklyn Nets Receive: Gabe Vincent, Jalen Hood-Schifino, 2026 First-Round Pick Swap (LAL), 2025 Second-Round Pick (LAC)
Schroder played a crucial role in the Lakers’ run to the 2023 Western Conference Finals, but he left in free agency after the Toronto Raptors offered him a bigger contract than the Lakers could. He’s been a two-way guard presence for them before and could help them recapture the magic he created in the guard rotation in 2022-23.
The Lakers Add A Reliable Two-Way Guard
The Lakers have been playing guards who seem to excel on only one end of the court. Both D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves are offensive specialists with minimal defensive impact on a game while Cam Reddish provides only defense with inconsistent offense. The reason the Lakers were successful in 2023 was because they had Schroder alongside Russel and Reaves providing more versatile on-ball play.
Schroder is thriving this season, averaging 17.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 6.5 assists for the Nets and increasing his value with every game. The Lakers signed Gabe Vincent after they missed out on Schroder and drafted Hood-Schfino before, so they can offload both players who failed to replace Schroder by reacquiring him with a potentially valuable pick swap.
Lakers fans have had a topsy-turvy relationship with Schroder, but his ability on the court can’t be questioned. While he can be inconsistent offensively, few scoring guards in the NBA can defend on-ball like he does. He is a highly energetic player and impacts the game in one way or the other, something the Lakers need from their guard spot with Russell’s inconsistency in particular.
The Nets Add Future Assets
This trade would see the Nets get potentially valuable pieces if they can maximize them. A Lakers first-round pick always carried heavy value, especially with the recent speculation that LeBron James could retire as soon as at the end of next season, giving the Nets value on a pick set in 2026. The returning players haven’t excelled on the Lakers but could be valuable additions to the Nets.
Gabe Vincent has been pretty bad as a Laker, averaging 2.7 points, 1.0 rebounds, and 0.7 steals this season. With two years on a deal, Vincent can easily rehabilitate his value on a low-pressure Nets squad as a veteran point guard. He’d be a good locker room presence and would get consistent on-ball reps which he lacks with the Lakers.
The same can be said for Hood-Schifino, who’s been iced from the Lakers rotation but still carries a high potential upside if developed properly.
The Nets have the space and patience to develop players at the current stage of their rebuild. Vincent can be moved as an expiring contract to a contender for more assets in a season’s time, provided his production ticks up, and Hood-Schifino can provide value with a few years of development.
A Risky Reunion For The Lakers
Schroder has been on the Lakers twice before, averaging 13.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 5.1 assists in 127 games over two stints. Fans have mixed reviews of his time with the franchise, although he’s been far more consistent than other point guards who have gone through the franchise in this stretch. But given how he disappeared in the 2021 and 2023 Playoffs, the Lakers will be taking a massive risk by bringing him back.
His production baseline will be crucial to ensure the Lakers don’t fall into Play-In purgatory once again, with a more-developed Reaves being able to take some of the offensive slack off Schroder. He’d be the best passing guard on the Lakers, so he could take more playmaking reps to help the franchise as well. This deal carries risk but could have a big reward at the end of it.
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