One team is allegedly interested in acquiring Dennis Schröder.
Before Thursday’s trade deadline, at least one team is allegedly interested in acquiring Dennis Schröder. The 30-year-old point guard is reportedly “on the radar” of the Minnesota Timberwolves, however it is unclear if the Toronto Raptors are willing to deal with him. This is according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. The Timberwolves, who are trying to add a backup point guard before the deadline, have been linked to both Schröder and former Raptors player Kyle Lowry.
In the past, Schröder has shown he can be a valuable member of some very strong teams. He was a key player in the Los Angeles Lakers’ run to the Western Conference Finals just a season ago, and he would be a cheap acquisition for Minnesota this year.
In the summer of last year, the 6-foot-1 Schröder inked a two-year, $25 million contract to join Toronto. He is owed $13 million the following year, which may reduce his trade value for the Timberwolves, who will be far into the luxury tax next season. For Schröder to be acquired, Kyle Anderson’s $9.2 million contract—which expires this summer—would probably need to be included in the deal. The Raptors would have access to as much as $48.7 million if Toronto were to receive an extra $13 million in salary cap space for the upcoming summer.
D’Angelo Russell Rumors
Before Thursday’s trade deadline, D’Angelo Russell is rumored to have surfaced in trade negotiations with the Toronto Raptors. It seems sense that the 27-year-old would come up in trade discussions, as ESPN’s Dave McMenamin noted. Russell is a highly tradable asset in any upcoming trade negotiations with the Los Angeles Lakers due to his $17.3 million deal. Bruce Brown Jr., who is linked to Los Angeles, could be traded for Russell in a one-for-one deal with the Raptors, giving Toronto an extra $4.6 million in salary cap room this season.
Russell has been extremely effective since the beginning of the year. He averages 22.2 points, 6.4 assists, and shoots 46.3% from the field and 44.9% from beyond the arc per game. Despite his vulnerable defense and lack of elite talent, the 28-year-old guard can still generate offense as a premium role player for most teams. The $18.7 million player option that Russell has for the upcoming season will make him less valuable to Toronto.
The contract will reduce the Raptors’ future flexibility, but they have the cap capacity to take it on without incurring the luxury tax. Having stated that, he’ll be on an expiring contract next season and could have some value either in the summer or at next year’s trade deadline should Toronto opt to move on from Russell then.