Dennis Schroder Trade Rumors: 3-Point Shooting, 'Atrocious Defense' Hurt Value
The Atlanta Hawks are reportedly struggling to find a trade market for point guard Dennis Schroder because of his inefficient three-point shooting and "atrocious defense."
Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported the update Monday and noted the ongoing legal case related to a September misdemeanor battery charge is also a factor in the lack of interest.
Although the Hawks don't believe Schroder will face jail time as a result of the charges, potential suitors are hesitant to acquire him while the situation is pending, per Cunningham.
The 24-year-old Germany native has been involved in the rumor mill throughout the offseason, and that speculation increased when Atlanta acquired fellow point guard Jeremy Lin in a deal with the Brooklyn Nets last week.
Schroder averaged a career-best 19.4 points last season while also putting up 6.2 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game across 67 appearances. He shot 43.6 percent from the field, including just 29.0 percent on his 262 three-point attempts.
He ranked 91st out of 97 qualified point guards in defensive real plus-minus, according to ESPN.com.
In May, the guard explained why he'd be open to a trade from Atlanta.
"I will be 25 in September, and of course you want to win a title sometime," Schroder told reporters (via Kyle Schnitzer of the New York Post). "In my prime—25, 26, 27, 28, 29—I want to compete. I cannot be second to last in the Eastern Conference. That's why I will have the talks with the Atlanta Hawks."
The Hawks are in position to deal him after they acquired Lin and Trae Young, the University of Oklahoma standout who was selected by the Dallas Mavericks with the fifth overall pick in the 2018 draft and then flipped to Atlanta in a swap featuring No. 3 pick Luka Doncic.
Now the question is whether the front office will be able to get fair market value in spite of the reported lack of trade leverage.
