Grade the Trade: Nets Send Dennis Schroder to the Warriors
The Brooklyn Nets and Golden State Warriors have kicked off this year's NBA trade season with a deal surrounding point guard Dennis Schroder. According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the Nets are sending Schroder and a 2025 second-round pick (via MIA) to the Warriors in exchange for De'Anthony Melton, Reece Beekman, and three second-round picks. The picks will be in 2026 (via ATL), 2028 (via ATL), and 2029.
The move was expected, as Schroder is the first of Brooklyn's core group of veterans to be traded. Cameron Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith are the next two expected to be dealt.
While the Nets were always going to move Schroder for some sort of value, the trade definitely favors one side more than the other. Brooklyn may not have maximized the value of their former point guard, while Golden State took advantage of a major opportunity.
Warriors receive: Dennis Schroder, 2025 second-round pick (via MIA)
Grade: A-
The Warriors get one of the best role players in the league this season, as Schroder is averaging 18.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 1.1 steals. The 31-year-old has been as effective for Brooklyn as he possibly could've been, and will now be a legitimate bench weapon behind Stephen Curry.
Golden State had to make this trade to give Curry some extra help in the final years of his career. The Warriors are looking like a solid playoff team this season with a 14-10 record, good for the fifth seed in the Western Conference.
While it would've been nice to add in other Nets veterans like Johnson or Finney-Smith, this is a great piece for the Warriors on both sides of the ball. Schroder has plenty of playoff experience and will be a formidable sixth man to a bench highlighted by young players such as Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis
Nets receive: De'Anthony Melton, Reece Beekman, 2026 second-round pick (via ATL), 2028 second-round pick (via ATL), 2029 second-round pick
Grade: C+
To put it simply, the Nets didn't maximize Schroder's trade value. Brooklyn received a high quantity of assets but not of high enough quality. Melton is out for the season with a partially torn ACL and is also set to hit free agency in 2025. As a veteran, it's unlikely that he will suit up for the Nets at all.
Beekman is more of an enticing piece as a rookie selected in the 2024 NBA Draft. One of the better defenders in college basketball last season, he's promising, but still a project. The biggest letdown is the draft capital the Nets got back.
It's perplexing to see Brooklyn receive three second-round picks when fans are probably saying, "Why not just replace that with a first-round pick?" Obviously, we don't know how trade talks went, but even a late-first-round pick would've sufficed, rather than three players who will likely end up being on two-way contracts.
The Nets had to move to Schroder, and that's why Brooklyn received the C+. What kept it from getting higher was the return. How is a player averaging over 18 points per game worth low-level draft capital? Hopefully the Nets get a better return for other players moved before the trade deadline.
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