Los Angeles Lakers: Five point guard trade candidates

1. Dennis Schröder

The Oklahoma City Thunder will unquestionably be one of the biggest sellers at the trade deadline with several players on the block such as Steven Adams, Danilo Gallinari, Chris Paul (if a team can somehow take his massive contract), and Dennis Schröder, who is the top point guard the Lakers should trade for.

Schröder’s $15.5 million contract could be difficult for the Lakers to find matching salary for, but luckily there is a deal here that can be made. The Lakers can match Schröder’s salary by sending out a trio of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Jared Dudley, and rookie Talen Horton-Tucker, all of whom make a combined $10.6 million, falling just within the accepted matching salary rule.

So why do the Thunder do it? They’re rebuilding and are ostensibly looking for either picks or young talent in exchange for their veteran players. Caldwell-Pope can still prove to be a valuable piece and is still only 26 years old, and Horton-Tucker is the kind of athletic, non-shooting wing that the Thunder seems to love so much.

If push comes to shove, the Lakers can throw in a second-round draft pick or two to sweeten the pot. While this may not be the best offer when the trade deadline rolls around, it is far from the worst the Thunder can get for Schröder.

Let’s flip the table and look at why the Lakers would make this trade. Schröder is one of the best back-up point guards in the league, and would immediately make an impact for the team, as his all-around play will be huge regardless of whether he starts or comes off the bench. This will also mitigate the use of Rajon Rondo, who is still recovering from a calf injury and it’s unknown how much he can contribute this year.

Schröder also gives Anthony Davis another true pick and roll partner and can help buoy the offense when LeBron James goes to the bench. In addition, Schröder has two years left on his deal including this season, so when the 2020-2021 season rolls around, he becomes an attractive expiring contract that the team can flip if they need to.