NBA Rumors: Analyzing Buzz Surrounding Goran Dragic, Dennis Schroder and More
The 2022 NBA trade deadline might be in the rearview mirror, but its impact will be felt for weeks, months and even years beyond.
Most immediately, though, it's keeping the rumor mill moving with rumblings about deals that could have been and transactions that could happen yet on the buyout market.
The latest batch of basketball talk includes items from both buckets, so let's dive in.
Win-Now Suitors Lining Up for Goran Dragic
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Goran Dragic was traded in August and then again at the deadline, and each time the transaction wasn't about him. In the first, he made the money work on Kyle Lowry's trade to the Miami Heat. In the second, he helped the Toronto Raptors add Thaddeus Young, while the San Antonio Spurs gained a first-round pick.
The next time Dragic changes jerseys, though, it will be all about him.
The veteran guard and the Spurs "agreed to a contract buyout" Tuesday, per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, and a host of championship hopefuls already have close eyes on the proceedings. The Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Clippers are all planning to take part in the pursuit, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Dragic's prime might be behind him, but he remains plenty capable of piloting a second-team offense and injecting it with scoring, shot-making and shot creation. Just last season, he was one of only five players to average at least 13 points and four assists in fewer than 30 minutes per outing, a distinction he shared with Mike Conley, Derrick Rose, D'Angelo Russell and LaMelo Ball.
Lakers Made an Offer for Dennis Schroder
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The Lakers seemed in dire need of a deadline shakeup, so seeing them do nothing was jarring—even with the acknowledgment of their trade-chip shortage.
It wasn't for a lack of trying, though. One option L.A. pursued, per Heavy.com's Steve Bulpett, was reuniting with Dennis Schroder and plucking him away from the Boston Celtics. The Lakers' offer, per Bulpett, was "a couple of second-round picks and some minimum contracts."
The Celtics instead used Schroder to broker a four-player swap with the Houston Rockets that brought Daniel Theis back to Boston.
The Lakers had better assets to offer—namely, Talen Horton-Tucker and their 2027 first-round pick—but they could have concluded Schroder wasn't worth the sacrifice. While he is a productive player (third in scoring and second in assists on last season's Lakers), he is inconsistent and is only signed through the remainder of this season.
4 Teams Attempted to Trade for Mitchell Robinson
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An uncertain future awaits New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson this summer in the form of unrestricted free agency.
The Knicks could have opted for certainty and split from the bouncy big man at the deadline. Four teams, including the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons, chased Robinson, per Marc Berman of the New York Post.
It's unclear why New York decided to keep the 23-year-old, although Berman noted Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau "is believed to be a big fan of Robinson."
This seemingly suggests one of two things. Either the Knicks are confident they can re-sign Robinson or they wanted to have his presence on the interior for the stretch run.
