Lakers Were Close to Acquiring Dennis Schroder at Deadline

The Lakers explored the possibility of trading for the former Laker guard.

Chatter, chatter, and more chatter. That’s all the Lakers got out of the NBA trade deadline. After months of reports linking them to different players, GM Rob Pelinka and Senior Advisor Kurt Rambis stood pat at the deadline. According to The Athletic’s Bill Oram, Los Angeles considered bringing back former Laker Dennis Schröder.

“One twist on the day was that the Lakers flirted with the idea of bringing back Dennis Schröder. Their starting point guard a year ago, averaging 15.4 points and 5.8 assists per game, Schröder fell out of favor in L.A. after declining an $84 million contract extension and had to settle for the mid-level exception in Boston as a free agent.”

Schröder unceremoniously left the Lakers for the archrival Celtics this summer following a disappointing performance in the 2021 playoffs. The guard did average 14.3 PPG, but shot 40% from the field and 30.8% from three.

Oram states that the Lakers weren’t 100% in on acquiring Schröder, but LA’s lack of trade assets, not desire, resulted in a deal never being made.

Boston ended up shipping Schröder to the Houston Rockets in a package that included Daniel Theis.

It’s hard to make trades when you have little to offer. Pelinka and the Lakers essentially had three assets: Talen Horton-Tucker, Malik Monk, and their 2027 first-round pick.

It appears that wasn’t even enough to acquire a slightly above league average guard on Thursday.

Now, the Lakers last hope for a roster upgrade is the buyout market which begins on March 1st.