If you've followed the reporting, Dennis Schroder appears to be the Boston Celtics' most likely trade candidate ahead of Thursday's NBA trade deadline.
But Brad Stevens and Co. may be not be married to moving Schroder no matter what.
The Celtics have taken a "stronger stance" in seeking return packages for Schroder, Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com reported Tuesday night, quoting a league executive who notes Boston has been driving a harder bargain for the 28-year-old guard.
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Forsberg's Mailbag: Luxury tax, trade buzz and 'Schroderfreude'
"He’s been playing well, and he’s been a good part of what they’re doing lately," the league exec told Bulpett. "I still think they might prefer to move him, but now they’re looking for an asset in return. They don’t feel like they HAVE to trade him now, and they’d like to turn him into an asset for next year."
The case for trading Schroder is clear: He's on a one-year, $5.8 million "prove it" contract and likely will demand more next offseason. The Celtics can duck under the luxury tax by moving Schroder now, and second-year point guard Payton Pritchard could get more run in his absence.
However, if Jaylen Brown doesn't make the All-Star Game as an injury replacement, his cap number will decrease to put the C's just $1 million above the luxury tax. That means the team doesn't need to deal Schroder to avoid the tax and instead could part with a back-end player like Bruno Fernando, Bol Bol or P.J. Dozier.
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Our Chris Forsberg has also noted that some in the organization have supported the idea of keeping Schroder. While he's been a bit up-and-down, the ninth-year guard has topped 20 points in 16 games this season and helped give the Celtics an offensive jolt when they're shorthanded or their star players are struggling.
There's plenty of interest in Schroder around the league: The C's and Milwaukee Bucks reportedly discussed a Schroder-Donte DiVincenzo swap, while the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls reportedly have their eyes on the German guard as well. If Boston can get a quality asset in return, there's a good chance Schroder isn't on this roster by Thursday night.
It sounds like the Celtics are trying to drum up his trade value a bit, though, and we'll find out in just over 24 hours whether they can find a "fair" deal for Schroder.