Lakers Trade Rumors: Dennis Schroder, Cam Reddish Among Players Discussed at Deadline

The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly considered trading for several players ahead of Thursday's 3 p.m. ET deadline, including former Boston Celtics guard Dennis Schroder and New York Knicks forward Cam Reddish, according to The Athletic's Bill Oram. 

A three-team deal for Reddish, which also would have included Raptors center Khem Birch, reportedly fell through because New York and Toronto couldn't agree on draft compensation. 

A deal for Schroder, who played in L.A. last season, wasn't reached because "there was some pushback from some in the organization" about a reunion with the veteran guard, Oram notes. However, Boston's asking price for Schroder was reportedly the bigger factor in preventing a deal.

Oram wrote:

"The Lakers were at a disadvantage as teams around the league saw them operating out of desperation, and wanted to force Rob Pelinka, the vice president of basketball operations, to take on bad contracts or spend what little draft capital the Lakers had left, including the 2027 first round pick, to facilitate any deals."

The Celtics reportedly traded Schroder, Bruno Fernando and Enes Freedom to the Houston Rockets for Daniel Theis, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. 

Reddish, who was traded from the Atlanta Hawks to the Knicks in January, remained in New York. 

Reddish's fit with the Knicks is still unclear. Since being acquired by the franchise, he has failed to carve out a role in Tom Thibodeau's rotation, having played just five games. 

He is averaging 4.0 points and 1.4 rebounds while shooting 25 percent from the floor in 10.0 minutes per game for the Knicks. He might have been in for a more significant role in L.A. but wouldn't have provided the type of spacing the team needs alongside LeBron James.

Schroder, meanwhile, is averaging 14.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists while shooting 44.0 percent from the floor and 34.9 percent from deep in 49 games. He would have been a solid addition for the Lakers, considering Russell Westbrook's struggles. 

Last season for L.A., Schroder averaged 15.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists while shooting 43.7 percent from the floor and 33.5 percent from deep in 61 games. He also averaged a career-high 32.1 minutes per night for the Purple and Gold.

However, it's unlikely a deal for Reddish or Schroder would have helped the franchise turn things around. 

The Lakers entered the 2021-22 campaign with high expectations after making numerous roster changes, including trading for Westbrook, but it sits ninth in the Western Conference with a 26-30 record.

Some of that inconsistency has to do with the fact that both LeBron James and Anthony Davis, among others, have missed time because of injury. However, a large part of it has been Westbrook's poor roster fit.

Given the albatross Westbrook's contract has become and L.A.'s lack of draft capital, it isn't surprising the Lakers stood pat.