Dennis Schroder is a starting-caliber point guard who began the season with the Kings before being traded to the Cavaliers in February. He recently appeared for an interview on ‘The Golden Hoops podcast’ where he spoke his mind on his relationship with the Kings after his trade.
“But I have to say one thing: with Sacramento, with Christie, it’s extremely difficult right now,” said Schroder on his relationship with the Kings. Considering that the interview was in German, his words have been translated for the ease of English readers.
“I don’t want to build contact there right now, because the situation was extremely difficult, and I think what they said and what they did simply were not—uh, it just wasn’t the same, and that really, well, what does ‘hurt’ mean? I’m in a better situation now.”
“But when someone says something, I’m always a fan of making sure we keep it that way. If I tell someone, ‘Hey, we’re going to do this and this,’ then I don’t suddenly go off to the right, you know? So, you should always keep your word, and unfortunately, the Sacramento Kings didn’t do that. And that’s a shame.”
“Of course, I’m still grateful that they paid me and that they initially believed in the vision, and yeah, that’s why it’s still extremely difficult. But I think after the season, maybe we can sit down and talk about what bothered me, or rather what the situation was, why it is kind of the way it is now.”
While Schroder did not explicitly say what the issue was, the chronology of events and the sentiments of the Kings’ fans suggest that Russell Westbrook may have a role in this.
The German star started the season by signing a three-year, $45 million deal with the Kings, presumably under the promise of being the starting point guard for the franchise’s future.
He started for the Kings in the first 12 games of the season, where they had a 3-9 record, before they eventually moved him to the bench and made him a recurring contributor from the bench itself. He did not start a single game after that until January, just days before he was traded, as Russell Westbrook took his spot on the starting lineup.
The future Hall of Fame point guard has played significantly well this season to justify starting over Schroder. Schroder averaged 11.9 points, 5.5 assists, and 3.4 rebounds in the 14 games he started overall for the Kings (12 at the beginning of the season and two in January). He shot 38.0% from the floor and 31.7% from beyond the arc during this time.
Meanwhile, Westbrook has averaged 15.7 points, 6.8 assists, and 5.6 rebounds in the 57 games he started while going 43.3% from the field and 34.1% from beyond the three-point line. Westbrook clearly outperformed Schroder in every aspect.
Therefore, promises based on a vision are one thing. But when they come crumbling down, one cannot hold a franchise responsible for pivoting to a better alternative when the business is so intensely competitive and cold at the end of the day.
Hence, if Westbrook taking his starter role is in fact the reason for Schroder’s unhappiness, then I cannot blame the Kings for making that call. It will be interesting to see what Schroder says about this after the season.
Considering that Westbrook and Schroder have been teammates on three different franchises, I do not expect this to be anything personal against him. But if this is over the German guard losing his starter role, Westbrook inadvertently played his part in it.
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