Warriors Strike First in Trade for Dennis Schroder

The NBA trade season is officially underway. After a few weeks of rumors and speculation, teams are starting to finalize deals and bring in new talent. That includes the Warriors, who made a big move towards improving their depleted roster on sunday.

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

As expected, Golden State completed a trade with the Nets. They received guard Dennis Schroder and a second round Miami Heat pick for the currently injured De’Anthony Melton, two-way player Reece Beekman, and three second-round picks (2026, 2028, and 2029).

That’s quite a haul to give up, but it shows the Warriors are committed to this season and are serious about building a stronger team around Stephen Curry.

Golden State has pieces, but they haven’t been the same since losing Melton for the year with a brutal knee injury. With him, they were at the top of the Western Conference standings. Without him, they’ve struggled to space the floor and can’t seem to find a proper rhythm.

While the sharp-shooting guard may return to form next year, that’s not where the Warriors are looking. They’re interested in the now. They made that evident with the move for Schroder, who may well invigorate the floundering team and bring back their winning ways.

A Offensive, and Veteran, Presence

The move has several implications for both teams, but it’s undoubtedly great for the Warriors. Not only do they get the extra scoring they’ve been looking for, they also bring in a seasoned veteran who can run the floor when Curry needs rest.

Schroder has never been a terribly impressive player when it comes to raw stats, but he’s currently on the rise. He’s gone from averaging 14.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 4.9 assists a game to 18.4 points, 3 rebounds, and 6.6 assists this year.

Not only is that welcome to a Warriors team badly in need of some help, but Schroder is also great at creating his own shot. The Warriors have plenty of players who can knock down an open three, but getting someone to directly attack the defense is a big deal.

He’s been in the league for ten seasons as well. That veteran presence is a perfect fit for such a young team. It gives them a leader who can quickly integrate into a new system, and ensures somebody else can step up to run the offense when needed.

While he may not be on the same level as some of the other big trade talk names like Paul George or Lauri Markkanen, Schroder is a good fit for the team and will only add much-needed offensive value going forward.

A Two-Sided Victory

The above move is one of the largest of the current season, and it works out for both teams. While the Nets are currently in the playoff picture, they’re hanging on at 10-15. They need a lot of help, and a playoff berth is likely to result in a first round exit more than anything else.

As such, unloading a good, but aging player for future capital is exactly what they want. They’ll likely lose more games, leading to better draft position for next year, and they get plenty of picks to play with when building around their new team.

They still have some strong pieces, such as Dorian Finney-Smith and Bojan Bogdanovic, but now have more to do with them come next season. That could firmly put them in the conversation next season, which is the ultimate goal.

For the Warriors, they gave up a lot for Schroder but nothing essential. That’s important because they still are in control of their future first round picks, which they could package with other core pieces to bring in more talent over the next few weeks. They aren’t guaranteed to make more deals, but something could definitely be in the works.

Schroder’s Impact

The new guard is exciting for the Warriors, but the team will have to make room for him. He will improve the team in several ways, but rotational changes are needed to get him into the offense.

That likely means less playing time for some players, including Brandin Podziemski. The standout rookie has done a solid job this year, but coach Steve Kerr has also been critical of his loose play and careless mistakes. The same is true of Jonathan Kuminga.

Both players have a lot of potential, and they will continue to see the floor, but they are likely to take on a smaller role once Schroder finds his footing.

The Warriors have been searching for a new look ever since they lost Melton. They’ve experimented with different lineups. While they may have to do that again, their pieces are getting stronger. In the end, maybe that’s all they need.