The major trade from last night was the Jimmy Butler trade saga finally coming to an end with Butler being moved to the Golden State Warriors. The trade saw four teams participate, with Warriors guard Dennis Schroder being sent to the Utah Jazz. Schroder was acquired by the Warriors in December for De’Anthony Melton and three second-round picks from the Brooklyn Nets, but he’s already on a new team.
Schroder is expected to be bought out or traded by the Jazz. The likely outcome is a buyout unless the Jazz find a trade for Schroder within the next few hours, with Marc J. Spears reporting that Schroder isn’t expected to play for Utah.
Schroder is averaging 14.4 points and 5.5 assists on the season as a whole.
After a strong start on the Nets where he averaged 18.4 points on 45.2% from the three and 28.7% from three with 6.6 assists in 23 games, his production trailed off significantly on the Warriors.
He’s averaged 10.6 points and 4.4 assists in 24 games with Golden State, shooting 37.5% from the field and 32.2% from three. This was primarily due to a bad fit on the roster, struggling to adapt his play style to the Warriors’ motion offense.
Schroder is still a capable player, he just needs the right environment to succeed.
The Los Angeles Lakers have been stealing the headlines of the 2025 NBA trade deadline. They started with their shock acquisition of Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks before following it up with another surprising trade last night, swinging for Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets.
The team has an open roster spot right now and could do with a guard reinforcement like Schroder. The franchise is light on the position with Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and Gabe Vincent the only rotational players for their guard spot. Vincent’s value is almost purely based on his defense now, so they need a backup ball-handler who can confidently make plays for himself and others.
Schroder has been on the Lakers twice before. His first stint came in the 2020-21 season, where he averaged 15.4 points and 5.8 assists. He had a decent run but bet on himself by turning down a four-year contract which disappeared after he had a dreadful showing in the 2021 Playoffs.
He found his way back in the 2022-23 season on a minimum, averaging 12.6 points and 4.5 assists in a great season where the Lakers went to the Conference Finals. He didn’t re-sign with the Lakers by taking a bigger deal with the Toronto Raptors, but he’s been traded four times on this contract in the last 20 months.
If the Jazz buy him out, the Lakers should be at the front of the line for Schroder’s services. It gets trickier if the Jazz are looking to trade him, as Danny Ainge probably won’t send him to the Lakers after they hid the Luka Doncic trade from Utah despite making them the third team.
The German guard is already familiar with some of his teammates but will have to adjust to JJ Redick’s new style of play. Playing behind Luka won’t be easy as well, because Schroder’s role will be much smaller than in previous stints. If he feels like he can contribute more, other contenders could offer him a bigger role.
Before the Jazz buy his contract out, we should be wary of a team like the Minnesota Timberwolves trading for him. Schroder would be a great fit on their roster and even potentially start given his defensive activity and solid on-ball ability. The Lakers can’t offer him a bigger role, but they can offer him a better shot at competing for a championship.
Even the Dallas Mavericks could consider swinging for Schroder because he can fit their defensive culture better than backup guards like Jaden Hardy. The team also is lacking a playmaker outside Kyrie Irving now that Doncic is gone, so it could be a fit for him. However, this seems unlikely to materialize compared to the assumed interest teams like the Lakers and Timberwolves should have in Schroder.
It’ll be interesting to see where Schroder lands up, as this is a contract year for him. The last time he went into the Playoffs with an expiring contract, he earned a deserving number on the open market after two years of being on exception and minimum contracts. He’s in danger of returning to that if his post-buyout stint fails.
It’ll be a big decision for Dennis, but he could maximize it by either hunting stats or a genuine chance at a title. Out of all potential contenders this season, the Lakers seem like the natural fit.
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