Dennis Schröder was one of the most polarizing acquisitions by the Los Angeles Lakers in their history. Given all of the moves they’ve made, that says a lot. He was suppose to be the bridge playmaker that was brought in to flank LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Instead, he became a one year rental that left in near sad fashion. The team could not close the deal to defend their championship and they both went their separate ways.
Schröder ended up signing a one-year deal with the hated Boston Celtics. The money paled in comparison to the alleged offer of a four-year, $84 million deal. In ironic fashion, it seems the Lakers would not mind bringing him back in the fold. The Lakers had Schröder as a possible trade target at the deadline. Schröder was eventually moved from the Celtics to the rebuilding Houston Rockets. Naturally, the Rockets will continue developing their young players over Schröder. The Lakers could monitor his situation, if a buyout were to happen, but that comes with some reservation, The Athletic’s Jovan Buha:
The Lakers explored the possibility of trading for Schröder at the trade deadline, as The Athletic’s Bill Oram reported. While there remains some division internally among the Lakers’ decision-makers regarding Schröder after his uncomfortable departure last summer, there is interest in bringing him back as a backup point guard, according to league sources.
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported some recent news on the future of Schröder (h/t Silver Screen & Roll’s Harrison Faigen):
Here is @mcten, on the buyout market names to keep an eye on.
Notably, he said a Houston source told him the Rockets do not plan to buy out Dennis Schröder. pic.twitter.com/QQfB0ztwJI
— Harrison Faigen (@hmfaigen) February 12, 2022
The date for bought-out players to be playoff eligible is March 1st. That’s a little less than three weeks, so plenty of time for the decision to be changed. As stated, the Rockets won’t be a playoff team and have a slew of development to prioritize. If Schröder wants to help a team strengthen their roster, the Lakers certainly meet the criteria. They can use all of the talent that may hit the buyout market, even in the most unconventional players.
