The Golden State Warriors are set to acquire veteran point guard Dennis Schroder and a second-round pick from the Brooklyn Nets for De’Anthony Melton and three second-round picks, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Golden State was looking for help at the guard position after Melton was ruled out for the season with a torn left ACL.
Schroder has had a tremendous start to the season, averaging 18.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 6.6 assists in 23 games. He’s been shooting a career-best 50.9% on 2-pointers and 38.7% on threes. Now in his 12th season, Schroder will be playing for his eighth team after getting selected 17th overall by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2013 draft.
The 31-year-old will not only take ball handling pressure off Steph Curry, but also ease the current responsibilities and expectations of Brandon Podziemski and Buddy Hield. Though not at the level of De’Anthony Melton on the defensive end, Schroder is still considered a plus-defender.
Golden State has lost seven of its last nine games and had been just 5-8 since Melton last played. Once second in the West after 12-3 start to the season, the Warriors have since dropped to fifth in the conference and just a half-game ahead of the Denver Nuggets. Minnesota, Phoenix, both L.A. teams, San Antonio, and Sacramento are all within two games of the Warriors, increasing the urgency to get back on track.
The Warriors are also one of the teams Jimmy Butler is linked with.
For Brooklyn, this trade may represent the start of a fire sale. Recognized as one of the teams that will be among the biggest sellers, opposing teams are expected to call and inquire about Cameron Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith, among others.
The Nets have been more competitive than expected to this point in the season with a 10-15 record, good for the final Play-In Tournament spot in 10th. As the roster continues to churn, though, that record could look quite different by season’s end.
Utah and Washington are the other two teams expected to be big sellers before the trade deadline.
