Dennis Schröder also moved to the Golden State Warriors. As is the case with a polarizing figure like him, the news this week led to polarized reactions: Oh look, some said: Let's set off again, the wandering bird of the US basketball league NBA, for what is now the ninth stop in his twelfth year as a professional America. Schröder, the story continues from this perspective, obviously doesn't really fit in anywhere. But the story is not that simple.
In his new sporting home, with the Warriors, it is told somewhat surprisingly differently. “I don’t think they brought him here because he fits in with us or will fit in,” said NBA veteran Draymond Green, who is considered to be just as non-conformist as Schröder: “We play a type of basketball that he doesn’t really plays. But: We need someone who can do the things he can do, and I look forward to us adapting to him.”
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Warriors coach Steve Kerr has experienced Schröder's fire on the floor not only in the league, but also as coach of the US national team, which lost to Germany in the 2023 World Cup semifinals in the Philippines and narrowly won two friendly games in London and Dubai. “He's now spanked my ass on three continents.” “He's a gambler, he brings us exactly what we need,” said the coach – and by that he means specifically: a player who can shape a party and decide at any time. Who doesn't have to be trained or frozen out of respect for the team leader; who sometimes does what no one expects.
Schröder's trade to the Warriors is a classic present-for-future trade in the NBA
Kerr, 59, was part of probably the most fascinating team in NBA history as a player. At the Chicago Bulls in the late 1990s, he experienced how coach Phil Jackson found access to the different Dennis Rodman – he himself was, as seen in the documentary series “The Last Dance”, one of the very few teammates who developed a direct connection to Rodman. He also knows from his experience as a player and coach: Anyone who integrates basketball players like Rodman, Green or Schröder with all their differences also receives special qualities. “The swap transaction makes perfect sense for us,” says Kerr.
The deal looks like this: The Warriors get Schröder, 31, who has had a convincing season with the Brooklyn Nets so far: 18.4 points, 6.6 assists and three rebounds per game – all better values than his career average, by the way in terms of shooting percentage from the three-point line (he hits a very decent 38.7 percent). And they get an additional second-round pick in the draft during the summer break. The Nets, on the other hand, have no realistic chance of winning the title and want to rebuild. They also give up their top performers and get a long-term injured talent (De'Anthony Melton, who has a cruciate ligament injury) and the largely unknown Reece Beekman, as well as three future second-round picks in the draft. It's the classic present-for-future trade in the NBA. The athletes involved usually have little say.
The special thing about trades is that they must work within the NBA's collective bargaining agreement regulations. The Warriors had no salary flexibility, they couldn't go on a shopping spree like they did in 2016, adding Kevin Durant to their elite roster. Everything had to be right, right down to contract lengths and disadvantages for the actors. Schröder earned $13 million this season, after which he can move freely. For the Warriors, NBA champions from 2018 to 2022, this season may be the last opportunity to build a team capable of winning a title again with the old heroes Steph Curry, 36, and Green, 34. Melton's injury forced them into action.
Schröder's I-don't-care attitude is made for moments like the ones that could follow in Golden State
What was obvious recently was the team from San Francisco: They have massive problems finishing games successfully – because opponents besiege Curry in the crucial moments and thus challenge the Warriors to give the baton to someone else. Schröder now fills this gap with his I-don't-care attitude that has characterized his entire career. “He can score, lead an offense, create chances,” says Curry about his partner in the game organization: “And he enjoys defending.” Also Draymond Green, who, like Curry, was consulted by club manager Mike Dunleavy before the new trade is convinced of Schröder: “We know who he is and what he is – that’s what counts.”
The man from Braunschweig has consistently followed his path so far. The war is not always straightforward and has led to club changes and contract poker that are sometimes difficult to understand from an observer's perspective. But it also led to a years-long journey through the NBA. “The way I grew up, it’s an indescribable achievement to even play here for twelve years,” Schröder recently told the SZ. Ultimately, despite all the polarization, it is probably the case: Schröder's self-confidence has led him to where he is today. It has earned him respect from the likes of Steve Kerr and Steph Curry. And they are certainly not bad advocates.
