While the Los Angeles Lakers were able to land Dennis Schroder in a successful trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Lakers front office has always had their eyes on the 27-year-old guard according to vice president Rob Pelinka.
Pelinka spoke on Thursday in regards to how the Lakers had always been in pursuit of Schroder.
“He's been a player we've pursued not just in this trade deadline, but before we pursued him aggressively,” Pelinka said, via Dave McMenamin in ESPN. “To finalize the transaction and bring him to the Lakers is satisfying. I think it's easy to fall into complacency when you win a title and to just say, ‘Hey, let's just run it back.' But at the same time I think my school of thinking is always, ‘Let's find ways we can become even better. Every offseason let's get better.'”
The Lakers were able to land Schroder this week while shipping off Danny Green along with their 2020 first-round pick, which translated into Jaden McDaniels. Green was always rumored to be on the trading block for LA, but no one expected the Lakers front office to be able to land Schroder in exchange for the hefty contract that Green posed.
Schroder will start alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the upcoming season, giving them a legit all-around point guard for arguably their first time since landing James. Schroder is a significant upgrade from both Rajon Rondo and Lonzo Ball, two ball-handlers that saw heavy minutes alongside James during his time with the Lakers.
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