The cash-strapped Oklahoma City Thunder have made several players available for trade in order to try and clear some money, and point guard Dennis Schroder is one of them.
Schroder is coming off of a season in which he played 79 games and averaged 15.5 points, 4.1 assists and 3.6 rebounds over 29.3 minutes per game while shooting 41.4 percent from the floor, 34.1 percent from three-point range and 81.9 percent from the free-throw line.
Due to his poor outside shot and his inconsistency on the defensive end, Schroder is not going to be anyone's favorite choice, but due to his ability to score points in bunches, he will absolutely have a trade market.
Here are three potential destinations for the 25-year-old, who has two years and $31 million remaining on his deal with the Thunder.
3. Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers actually have enough cap room to be able to absorb Schroder's $15.5 million salary for next season without sending back matching salaries in return to the Thunder, and Los Angeles has an opening at point guard.
Yes, the Lakers have LeBron James and Anthony Davis, arguably the best one-two punch in basketball, but they have a lot of holes to fill out on the remainder of their roster, and Schroder could be a nice addition.
His lack of a three-point shot in an offense that doesn't have great spacing as it is may be off-putting, but Schroder would give the Lakers four guys who can create their own shot along with James, Davis and Kyle Kuzma, which would make Los Angeles incredibly tough to defend.
Of course, this is assuming the Lakers go out and add a shooter like Kyle Korver, who can help mitigate Schroder's perimeter deficiencies.
2. Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers desperately need someone who can get their own shot off the bench, as Philadelphia had one of the worst bench units in the league this season and had to rely on midseason pickups like James Ennis and Mike Scott.
Philly will have a ton of cap space this summer with at least one of Jimmy Butler or Tobias Harris seeming likely to walk, and while the Sixers may set their sights on bigger fish, they may have to settle for solid role players like Schroder.
Schroder would not only provide the 76ers with a good bench scorer, but he would give them some much-needed length on the perimeter.
Philadelphia has struggled with guarding opposing point guards, and with Schroder is hardly a great defender, he is actually decent when he locks in thanks to his nice wingspan.
1. Indiana Pacers
Like the 76ers, the Pacers have a lot of cap room, and also like the 76ers, the Pacers would prefer to pursue better players.
However, Indiana is not exactly a free-agent hot spot, so the Pacers may have to settle for some solid role players, and Schroder could slide right in next to Victor Oladipo and provide Indy with a guard who can fill it up at times.
We know the Pacers are really good defensively, but one thing they lack if consistent offense outside of Oladipo, which was blatantly obvious once Oladipo went down with a season-ending quad tear in January.
No, Schroder isn't Kemba Walker, but he has averaged close to 20 points per game before and is a guy who can really hurt defenses when he is in the zone.
Follow Us
Subscribe