NEWSLETTER
I guess the Dennis Schroder rumors are not going anywhere.
According to the Action Network’s Matt Moore, the Chicago Bulls have sent an offer to the Boston Celtics for the veteran point.
The Boston Celtics’ priority, according to multiple sources, is to clear salary to save on the luxury tax. There are two offers on the table for Dennis Schröder according to multiple sources, one from the Milwaukee Bucks and another from the Chicago Bulls. The other option is the annual Marcus Smart discussion that never leads to anything.
The Bulls were first linked to Schroder this offseason, though the signing(s) of Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso quickly put those rumors to bed. Talk sparked back up earlier this week with multiple reports that the Bulls have their eye on Schroder. More specifically, we learned that trading Troy Brown Jr. and a second-round pick in exchange for Schroder is a concept that has “circulated around the league,” per Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report (which makes me wonder if this is the exact deal to which Moore is referring).
To be sure, it’s hard to imagine the framework as anything significantly different or more costly. While Schroder might be a well-known name, he isn’t expected to be worth much more at the deadline, especially to a Bulls team plentiful at the guard position when healthy. The vet is also on only a one-year, $5.9 million deal.
Either way, a report that a deal is “on the table” certainly adds some weight to the situation. I know that’s going to ruffle some feathers throughout the fan base, but I do think there is a world where Schroder helps this team. Rather than rehash that all here, I’ll share a chunk from our post earlier this week on the trade target:
As odd as the Schroder fit may feel on a roster jam-packed with guards, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard him tied to this organization. Chicago was name-dropped more than once as a potential suitor for Schroder in free agency this summer. Head coach Billy Donovan also coached Schroder for two seasons, the second of which came in 2019-20 when Schroder averaged 18.9 points, 4.0 assists, and a career-high 38.5 percent from downtown in a Sixth Man role for the playoff-bound Thunder.
With injuries to Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso expected to put them on the sideline until at least March, the Bulls do have time to fill at the guard position. And while Schroder does appear to possess a scorer’s mentality, he has also developed into a more than viable perimeter defender. He’s appeared in 45 games this season for the Boston Celtics and helped them become the NBA’s 4th-ranked defense. Considering the Bulls have seen their defensive rating plummet in recent weeks without sharper backcourt clamps, adding Schroder could make some sense.
Also, for what it’s worth, Schroder’s scoring could be somewhat helpful. While he may not need to do much of it for this Bulls team, he has averaged at least 14.6 points in six-straight seasons. He certainly can’t be considered the most efficient scorer, but he would give the Bulls another player who can put the ball on the floor and get to the rim. His 3.1 free-throw attempts per game this season would immediately be third on the team behind DeRozan and LaVine.
I’m not saying I want the Bulls to put any assets toward a Schroder acquisition, particularly with frontcourt depth more worrisome, but I also wouldn’t be kicking and screaming if they did. The price to bring him in for some short-term relief isn’t all that high, and we’re not talking about a player who just might be able to contribute. Schroder would bolster the backcourt defense until Ball and Caruso return. Plus, he would add some much-needed half-court playmaking and ballhandling to this currently depleted team.
The bigger issue for me is ensuring none of these assets can be used to more significantly improve the Bulls’ problems upfront. Likewise, I would need to be shown immediately that Schroder can accept whatever role he is given and understand that this role will change as the team gets healthy.
Anyway, for more on Schroder, check out the post below …
Multiple Reports Name Paul Millsap and Dennis Schroder as Names to Watch for the Chicago Bullshttps://t.co/maRS8lUmV6 pic.twitter.com/Rabd7LTl8G
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) February 2, 2022
