3. He’d be easier to get than Chris Paul
There’s no doubt that Paul is a great player, but the assets the Los Angeles Lakers would have to give up for him make it a tall proposition to not only acquire him but to also rebuild quality depth after acquiring him.
Schroder is owed $15.5 million for next season. That means that purely from a standpoint of matching salaries, it would cost the Lakers a lot less in terms of assets.
Trading Danny Green for him straight-up should work according to ESPN’s trade machine. Perhaps the Thunder may demand a draft pick or one additional role player, but if that happens, it should be acceptable, especially considering this year’s draft is expected to be a relatively weak one.
At least in theory, a Schroder trade would allow the Lakers to keep guys like Avery Bradley and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, just to name a couple. That means the team would still boast the strong depth it did all of this past season.
In addition, since L.A. would still have said depth, it also puts it into position to possibly make another trade to further improve the team, perhaps for a 3-and-D wing or a deadeye 3-point shooter.