The Golden State Warriors have reportedly pulled off the first big move during this 2024-25 season, as they have finalized a trade for guard Dennis Schroder from the Brooklyn Nets. If and when Schroder arrives, The Athletic’s Anthony Slater reports he will take on a big role and take minutes from Buddy Hield and Brandin Podziemski.
“Schroder is expected to step into a large role in the Warriors’ backcourt. He’s an extra scorer and pick-and-roll ballhandler who should be able to run some offense while Steph Curry is off the court, yet also fit next to Curry in certain lineups, the Warriors believe, because of his pesky defense. Schroder’s arrival will likely lessen the minute totals for Brandin Podziemski and Buddy Hield, among others.”
Schroder is in the midst of the best season of his career, with averages of 18.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game for the Nets in 2024-25. It was to be expected that he’d get a big role with the Warriors but his taking Hield’s minutes is perhaps a bit of a surprise.
Hield has cooled down a bit after a hot start to the season but remains one of the more effective offensive options on that Warriors roster. The 31-year-old is averaging 14.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game in 2024-25 while shooting 42.6% from beyond the arc. Cutting his minutes might not go down all that well with the fanbase.
As for Podziemski, well his minutes going down was something that was unfortunately long overdue. The 21-year-old had an excellent rookie season but this sophomore campaign hasn’t gone according to plan.
Podziemski is averaging 7.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game in 2024-25. He is shooting just 38.0% from the field and 24.7% from beyond the arc and has struggled badly
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr also bluntly called out Podziemski after a loss to the Nuggets on Dec. 3. Kerr wasn’t happy one bit with his decision-making and the guard might be in the doghouse following this Schroder trade.
While Podziemski might not have been smiling when he heard about Schorder coming to the Warriors, the German himself sure was. He took to X to celebrate the news.
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS #DubNation pic.twitter.com/TmFnVe6cBY
— Dennis Schröder (@DS17_FG) December 15, 2024
Anyone would be happy going from the rebuilding Nets to the Warriors, who are hoping to be serious title contenders this season. It looked like they were going to be just that earlier on in the season, as they got off to an impressive 10-2 start. It’s been all downhill since then, though.
The Warriors’ loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday at Toyota Center in the NBA Cup quarterfinals saw them drop to 14-10 on the season. They have somewhat lost their way and it seemed like they had to make some move.
Schroder is who they’re looking at to help them get back on track and they gave up De’Anthony Melton and three second-round picks to get him and a second-rounder. It will be interesting to see how much of an impact he can make next to Stephen Curry but we might have to wait a bit to see him in action.
The Warriors take on the Dallas Mavericks next on Sunday at 8:30 PM ET at Chase Center and that game might be coming a bit too soon for Schroder. If he doesn’t feature there, then the first time we see him playing in a Warriors jersey would be against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum on Thursday at 8 PM ET.
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