The Los Angeles Lakers traded Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson for Patrick Beverley last week in a move that fans are hoping is a prelude to something bigger.
A Russell Westbrook trade is the thing that most fans want to see at this point with one Westbrook trade seeming inevitable at this point for the Lakers. However, that is not the only player movement that is going to happen.
Depending on how the trade shakes out, the Lakers may have an extra roster spot to utilize in free agency. As it currently stands after the Beverley trade, Los Angeles has 13 out of 15 roster spots filled. Even if Westbrook is flipped in a two-for-one, LA will have an extra spot to bring in additional help.
One name that has been tied to the Lakers is Dennis Schroder. Schroder, a former Laker, is still on the market and the door is still open for him to return to Los Angeles. NBA insider Marc Stein stated that it is “not quite clear” if the Beverley trade will rule out a Schroder return next season.
With Westbrook, it does not make a lot of sense. That being said, if Westbrook is indeed traded then it opens a door for Schroder to return. This could be why the team is waiting to potentially bring him in as they are waiting to move Westbrook first.
Dennis Schroder makes sense for the Lakers if Russell Westbrook is traded.
While Cole Swider might be more deserving of a roster spot, if the Lakers simply want to keep him on a two-way deal then Schroder makes the most sense, as long as the team does not bring in another point guard in return.
Having a tandem of Patrick Beverley and Dennis Schroder at point guard is not a bad outlook, especially with Kendrick Nunn adding more guard depth as well. Beverley is the defensive menace who will play nicely next to LeBron James while Schroder is someone who can actually help run the offense when LeBron is off the court.
The only potential way this gets derailed is if the Lakers bring back someone like Derrick Rose or Mike Conley in a three-team deal that involves Westbrook. If that is the case, it does not make sense at all to bring in Schroder, as that would simply be overkill.
There is even a world in which the Lakers don’t have the room to bring in Schroder. Los Angeles could get a return along the lines of Rose, Bojan Bogdanovic and Cam Reddish. If that happens then there won’t even be a roster spot for Schroder to take.
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As it stands right now, though, Schroder has to be the free-agent favorite to join the team.