Schroder Trade Could Just Be Beginning for Ring-Hungry Warriors

The Warriors made headlines earlier this week by finalizing a deal with the Nets to get Dennis Schroder in exchange for De’Anthony Melton and three future second round picks. The move helps Brooklyn plan for the future and gives Golden State exactly what they need.

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Schroder is a strong defender who can create his own shot. Both of those attributes fill out the Warriors’ front court and provide another strong option at point guard alongside Stephen Curry. Still, reports state the Warriors aren’t done yet.

The franchise is playing for a championship this year, and are determined to help Curry get his fifth ring. While Schroder could be a part of that process, he’s one cog in a much bigger machine.

His scoring ability is going to be useful in the next month or so, but the thirty one year old could also be moved for a much bigger package. It depends on what the Warriors want to do next.

Buyers, Not Sellers

Golden State is more than happy with their recent acquisition, but there are many other gaps they need to fill. General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. stated that the team is far from finished looking for upgrades, and has plans to push hard going into January.

“We’ve always been aggressive,” he said when discussing future trade plans. “You got to be mindful of what you’re giving up, what you’re getting back, all those things. But anything to make the team better, we’re going to do.”

That mindset is important because it shows just how much the Warriors want to shift moving forward. Though they started out 12-3 on the year, the team is just 2-8 over their last 10 games. That’s concerning, and something they want to reverse as quickly as possible.

Bringing in new talent is a big part of making that happen.

“We’re in a timezone here of maximizing our window with Steph [Curry], Draymond [Green], and Steve [Kerr] as our coach,” Dunleavy continued. “So as proven here on the first day we could basically make trades with certain players, we did that…For the most part I feel good about this team, particularly on the defensive end, and now we have a player that we think could create and generate more offense for us.”

A Small Stop on a Long Road

Interestingly enough, while Schroder helps the Warriors in the short term, he might actually be a part of another play. The team knows they need to surround Curry with more talent, and that’s only going to happen if they bring in a much bigger name.

Schroder is playing on an expiring $13 million contract, which means he will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. As such, the Warriors could actually flip him to another team for a bigger player rather than keeping him around.

That might seem odd given the media surrounding the recent deal, but Golden State traded for Schroder on December 15th. That means, according to new rules laid out in the most recent Collective Bargaining Agreement, he can be “re-aggregated” on the day before, or the day of, the trade deadline.

Aggregation refers to when a team combines two players' contracts to bring in a high value option. For instance, trading a $10 million guard and a $15 million forward to get a $25 million all star. Though being able to combine Schroder’s salary doesn’t mean they will trade him, getting on the 15th keeps that door open.

A New Deal in the Works

The above detail is important when evaluating the Schroder trade, especially with the knowledge that the Warriors want to get a ring this season. They’re staying hungry, and will do whatever it takes to up their roster.

The team is excited about their new guard, and head coach Steve Kerr has stated they plan to use him alongside Curry. Mike Dunleavy has backed up those statements as well.

“We still think he’s got a lot of good years left in him,” Dunleavy said of Schroder. “And we’ll have his [Early] Bird rights, the ability to re-sign him after the season. We think he’s a good fit for us on both sides of the court and hopefully there’s a relationship here longer than just a few months.”

Despite that, there’s also a lot of reasons the Warriors could move on. There are many big names floating around the rumor mill, and Golden State is undoubtedly in the mix on just about all of them. They don’t want to settle and have their window close.

It’s also worth noting the team does have plenty of other trade capital, including all of their future first round picks. However, keeping those and getting rid of an aging guard instead might be a better proposition. It all depends on how much they’re willing to give up, and what they’re willing to get.