The Kings didn’t waste any time letting the league know they’re open for business. According to Forbes’ Evan Sidery, the Kings have made Dennis Schroder available in trade talks, just months after bringing him in as their “top offseason move.” Sidery added that Schroder signed a three-year, $45 million deal and has already been benched, which is basically the loudest possible signal that this partnership isn’t going the way either side hoped.
The timing makes sense when you look at where the Kings are right now. They’re sitting at 8-25, buried near the bottom of the West, and it’s the kind of record that forces uncomfortable conversations fast. When you’re losing at that rate, “holding” veterans for the perfect offer stops being a strategy and starts being denial. The Kings need flexibility, they need future value, and they probably need to clean up a rotation that’s been changing every other night.
Schroder, meanwhile, is still the type of guard contenders call about because he does the things playoff teams always need: he can push pace, get into the paint, run pick-and-roll, and keep the offense from turning into a standstill when the stars sit.
On the season, he’s averaging 12.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 5.8 assists while shooting 40.5% from the field. That’s not “save a franchise” production, but it’s absolutely “swing a second unit” production, especially if a team needs ball-handling and someone who can actually create an advantage off the dribble.
So now the fun part starts: if the Kings are truly listening, where does Schroder make the most sense? Here are the four best destinations, the teams that can actually use his skill set right now and have a realistic path to getting a deal done.
1. Detroit Pistons
This is the “rich get richer” destination.
The Pistons are 25-8 and sitting first in the East, so they’re not buying on Dennis Schroder because they’re desperate. They’d get him because they can smell a real run, and playoff basketball always exposes one thing: do you have enough organized ball-handling when the main guy gets blitzed?
On paper, the Pistons already have a nice guard pipeline. Cade Cunningham runs the show, Jaden Ivey is listed as the second point guard, and Marcus Sasser is right there behind them on the depth chart. But here’s the reality: Ivey and Sasser bring juice, not calm. They can score, they can get hot, they can swing regular-season games. In the playoffs, you also need a vet guard who can walk the ball up, get you into your set, and manufacture a good shot when the possession is dying.
Their bench has been productive, around 39.2 points per game, which ranks in the league’s upper half. The Lakers game is a perfect example of what they already have: the bench dropped 50 points and Sasser popped for 19. That’s great. But it’s also the exact reason Schroder fits: he doesn’t overlap with “bench scoring.” He comes with “bench organization.” He’s the guy who makes sure that scoring shows up consistently when defenses start scouting your actions and forcing you into Plan C.
The Pistons also play with real defensive edge. They show up on the hustle board near the top in loose balls recovered per game, and they’re in the top tier for deflections as well. Schroder matches that personality. He’s a pest at the point of attack, he competes through screens, and he won’t treat defense like an optional activity just because he’s coming off the bench.
If the Pistons want to keep their ceiling intact without touching the core, Schroder is the kind of “small” move that wins a series.
2. Golden State Warriors
The Warriors have a hilarious problem: they can look like a contender for 12 minutes, then look like a team begging for structure for the next six.
They’re 18-16, and when the second unit comes in, the offense often turns into “please let the shooters hit.” The Warriors bench does score, about 42.7 points per game, but the real question is: who is actually quarterbacking the minutes when the game gets messy?
According to the depth chart, the Warriors’ “backup PG” is Brandin Podziemski, and after that it’s Pat Spencer, plus some combo-guard mixing and matching. Podziemski is a winning player, but he’s not the same thing as a veteran point guard who has been in a million pick-and-roll possessions and knows how to steer the ship when the opponent switches everything and blows up your first option.
This is where Schroder would matter: he gives them a real downhill creator who doesn’t need a million off-ball actions to create an advantage. And that’s huge for the Warriors specifically, because when teams top-lock and switch the motion stuff, you either need a dominant isolation guy or you need a guard who can beat his man, collapse the defense, and spray it out.
Plus, the Warriors have already shown how much they rely on bench surges. In the win over the Hornets on December 31, their bench destroyed Charlotte’s bench 61-29. In their last five games, they’ve gotten over 51 points per game off the bench. That’s awesome… and it’s also volatile. If the bench shooting cools off for two games in a playoff series, you’re cooked. Schroder is the antidote to that volatility because he can generate paint touches and free throws even when the jumper isn’t falling.
And defensively, he fits the Warriors’ “scrap for extra possessions” identity. They’re among the league leaders in loose balls recovered per game. Schroder plays exactly like that, annoying, physical, and loud.
If the Warriors want to avoid being a “hot streak” team, Schroder is a pretty clean fix.
3. Toronto Raptors
The Raptors are 20-15, sitting fourth in the East, and the biggest tell in their profile is simple: their bench doesn’t give them enough offense and playmaking when the starters sit.
Their bench scoring is around 33 points per game, which puts them in the bottom third of the league. That’s the kind of number that feels fine in January and then becomes a nightmare in April when rotations shrink and every non-starter minute matters.
Now look at their guard depth. ESPN has Immanuel Quickley as the starting point guard, and Jamal Shead as the second point guard. Shead might be solid long-term, but if you’re the Raptors trying to win now, relying on a young backup guard to manage playoff possessions is a classic “we learned the hard way” situation.
Schroder gives them an instant veteran fix: he can run a real pick-and-roll, he can pressure the rim, and he can keep the offense from turning into a bunch of bailout jumpers late in the clock. That matters because the Raptors’ best creators are wings, and wing-led offenses can get sticky if nobody can consistently tilt the defense from the top.
He also fits their defensive energy. The Raptors are right up there in team deflections per game on NBA.com’s hustle list. Schroder’s whole vibe is point-of-attack pressure, and with the Raptors’ length behind him, it’s even more valuable. He wouldn’t have to be perfect, he’d just have to contain long enough for the help to arrive.
This is the kind of trade that doesn’t look sexy in a headline, but it’s the kind that changes a team’s floor. If the Raptors want to stop bleeding points in bench minutes, Schroder is a direct solution.
4. New Orleans Pelicans
This one isn’t about “contender upgrade.” It’s about survival.
The Pelicans are 8-27. That’s not a slump, that’s a season that’s already in triage. And when you’re that bad, the most important thing isn’t adding talent, it’s adding structure. Schroder is structure.
The funny part is the Pelicans’ bench actually scores, about 40.4 points per game. So the problem isn’t “no bench points.” It’s that the offense can still feel chaotic, especially when you’re leaning on young guards and trying to piece together lineups through injuries.
The depth chart shows Jeremiah Fears as the starting point guard and Jose Alvarado behind him, with Jordan Poole also soaking up guard minutes. That’s a lot of ball-handling, but it’s not a lot of stability, especially when roles shift constantly. And the frontcourt situation has been a mess too, with Zion Williamson missing time on several occasions this season.
Schroder’s value here would be very specific: he can run the team in the half court, he can keep turnovers down, and he can make sure the Pelicans get a real shot every possession instead of playing random. He also takes pressure off Fears, because asking a young point guard to solve every late-clock possession while the season is burning is how you ruin development.
If the Pelicans want the second half of the season to be anything other than noise, getting a veteran organizer at guard is one of the cleanest ways to do it. Schroder is that guy.
