Dennis Schroder came out firing on Saturday against the Los Angeles Lakers, providing a jolt to the Golden State Warriors offense with 10 points and two assists on 4-of-6 shooting in just over 10 minutes.
Unfortunately, and in a similar vain to fellow veteran guard Stephen Curry, Schroder was lifeless in the second-half in failing to take a single field-goal attempt while committing two turnovers as the Warriors suffered a disappointing 118-108 defeat.
The Warriors can't afford to trade Dennis Schroder
Schroder quite clearly hasn't been a fit since his arrival via trade from the Brooklyn Nets, with growing speculation that Golden State could look to move the 31-year-old and his expiring $13 million contract prior to the February 6 deadline.
As disappointing as Schroder has been from an individual standpoint -- having averaged just 10.4 points on 36.8% shooting and 30% from 3-point range -- trading him in the coming days isn't as easy as it may seem.
Part of the reason the Warriors acquired Schroder in the first place was because they desperately lacked a back-up point guard -- something that was evident from the time the roster was built during the offseason.
Schroder's presence has allowed Brandin Podziemski to take more a combo guard role within the Golden State offense, rather than take the unfamiliar task of being a primary shot-creator that he struggled so much with early in the season.
Since Schroder's acquisition on December 15, Podziemski is averaging 9.3 points on 53.2% shooting from the floor and 50% from 3-point range. He's also leading the team in average plus-minus during the period, albeit the 21-year-old did recently miss 12 games due to an abdominal injury.
Prior to Schroder's arrival, Podziemski was averaging 7.7 points on 37.6% shooting and 25% from beyond the arc while ranking eighth on the team in plus-minus. There's no coincidence that Schroder has allowed Podziemski to play a role he's far more familiar with, and one much more similar to last season where he proved so effective in finishing with All-Rookie First Team honors.
Here in lies the problem with the potential of trading Schroder before the deadline. Any move would have to require a reliable point guard coming back the other way. Forcing Podziemski back into a back-up point guard role wouldn't be good for the team, and nor would it be good for his individual development.
Is there a good back-up point guard available on the market that would make sense? Would it even be worth it if so? As underwhelming as Schroder has been in his time with the Warriors, it might make more sense to try and hold faith in him turning it around rather than moving on in the coming days.