They say good things come to those who wait... but they're wrong. Golden State didn't wait until February to address its most pressing need; instead, the Warriors front office swung a deal in December for a backup point guard — and one of the best on the market in Dennis Schroder.
The Brooklyn Nets are finalizing a deal to send guard Dennis Schroder and one second-round pick to the Golden State Warriors for De'Anthony Melton and three second-round picks, sources told ESPN. A dynamic playmaker and scorer arriving to the Warriors. pic.twitter.com/6NC4xcnKnc
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 14, 2024
Golden State adds Schroder and a second-round pick, in return sending De'Anthony Melton and three second-round picks to Brooklyn.
Warriors add serious scoring, give up basically nothing
It feels like a lifetime ago when the Warriors offense was roaring; recently, it's been the opposite. Golden State is near the bottom of the NBA in most offensive categories over the past 10 games, and a huge reason for that is a lack of ball-handlers and creators in the second unit. There's talent in the second unit, but not a lot of cohesiveness. Not a lot of ball movement when Steph Curry goes to the bench.
That will change with Schroder, who is averaging 6.6 assists per game on a Nets team that he's been pretty brilliant on overall. Schroder is also averaging 18.4 points per game — his most since 2019-20 — and those numbers aren't deceptive. He really is playing that well for the Nets. He will be a Godsend for the Warriors offense.
Brooklyn, meanwhile... I don't get it. Trading Schroder is fine — it always seemed like that would be the case — but why so early, and why for such a minuscule return? Melton being in the deal makes sense for the purpose of matching salary, but why not make teams outbid each other for him? It's hard to believe a contender wouldn't shell out a first-round pick for a point guard who will immediately make an impact on any of the NBA's 30 teams.
The Nets are prioritizing youth, so I get wanting to get a deal done... but a net of two second-rounders isn't the return Nets fans were hoping for, and it's a little surprising that's all they got.