The Warriors expect their trade with the Nets to be finalized in time for Dennis Schröder to begin practicing with the team early next week and make his debut Thursday night in Memphis, sources tell Anthony Slater of The Athletic. The deal will reportedly send Schröder and a second-round draft pick to Golden State in exchange for the expiring contract of De’Anthony Meltonwho is out for the season with a torn ACL, along with two-way player Reece Beekman and three second-round selections. It can’t be completed until Sunday when Melton becomes trade-eligible.
The two teams have been in sporadic trade talks for weeks, Slater adds. He confirms reports that the discussions at one point included a larger deal involving Cameron Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smithbut those negotiations fell apart. He hears that Golden State preferred a simple trade for Schröder, giving them much-needed scoring help without sacrificing any of their young talent. Schröder was the only player who had been discussed in the last few days, Slater adds.
Schröder, 31, is a veteran guard who brings plenty of playoff and international experience. He will run the offense whenever Stephen Curry is resting, but the Warriors also envision having them on the court together, according to Slater. Coach Steve Kerr has been running 11- and 12-man rotations for much of the season, but Slater points out that Schröder’s arrival is likely to mean reduced roles for Brandin Pod Ziemia, Buddy Hield and others.
There’s more on the Warriors:
- Kerr, Curry and Draymond Green were all advocates for acquiring Schröder because they’ve faced his German team so often in international competitions, states Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter video link). The trade won’t prevent the Warriors from “big-game hunting,” according to Charania, who adds that the team remains “active in the hunt for a star player.” He also points out that Golden State can aggregate Schröder’s contract in another deal before the February 6 deadline. The Warriors have been prominently mentioned in Jimmy Butler trade rumors, but other desirable targets could become available.
- The Warriors weren’t happy about being knocked out of the NBA Cup with a controversial loss Wednesday at Houston, but it did give them a break in the schedule, notes Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle. They’ll have three days off following Sunday’s game against Dallas, which gives them the rare chance to concentrate on practice and film sessions. “I think it’s really beneficial for us to get some more practice time. During the NBA season it’s really hard to get really good practices in,” Kevon Looney said. “We get to work on all the execution things. The small things that we keep talking about on film. We can actually go out on the practice court and work on the kinks.”
- Curry and Andrew Wiggins are both listed as questionable for Sunday’s contest, Slater tweets. Curry is experiencing inflammation in his neck area, and Wiggins is dealing with adductor tightness.
