Price Was Right For Schroder, But Other Nets On Market Had Better Fetch More

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Sean Marks didn’t waste any time. The vocal pro-tank contingent of Nets fans who have been freaking out after each of Brooklyn’s ten wins in its first 25 games can relax.

Because Sunday’s unofficial opening to the NBA trade season, due to the rule that requires a waiting period after a new contract is signed, will reportedly see the Nets General Manager announce that the team sent point guard Dennis Schroder, Brooklyn’s third-leading scorer, to Golden State. The Nets will receive a net of two second-round picks (one outgoing, three incoming), the details of which have not been leaked as of this writing, plus guard De’Anthony Melton, who is out for the season with a torn ACL, and two-way player Reece Beekman, per New York Post reporter Brian Lewis.

While the low consideration is somewhat disappointing, it’s not surprising. Schroder may have been incredibly valuable to the Nets’ gritty foundation for this season with his efficient three-level scoring and leadership, most of the league considers him a backup, for which the supply is relatively ample. If Marks had attempted to hold out for a 1, Golden State might have looked elsewhere for a lesser but still satisfactory cheaper alternative, because in the stacked Western Conference, you can’t afford to be overly patient with filling a need. (Note: I heard ESPN’s Shams Charania say that the Warriors intend to go with a Stephen Curry/Schroder starting backcourt, but that seems awfully small to match up with their competition. Schroder isn’t much of an off-ball cutter like former Net Shaun Livingston was. The team’s most pressing issue net ratings-wise is when Curry rests.)

Schroder had endeared himself to Nets fans this season with his clutch buckets and toughness—he drew six charges in 23 games; the whole team took nine last season. In what was reportedly his final appearance in a Brooklyn uniform, Schroder verbally went after Memphis star Ja Morant and Head Coach Taylor Jenkins after Friday night’s game in support of his Head Coach Jordi Fernandez.

As much as Schroder publicly stated his desire to remain in Brooklyn, he will now get an opportunity to contribute to a playoff contender. That’s the better showcase for his next contract. When he returns to Barclays Center on March 6, he should be greeted warmly (there will likely be a heavy pro-Warriors contingent in the stands anyway).

Unfortunately, the 31-year old Schroder, whose approximately $13 million contract expires after this season, isn’t on Brooklyn’s planned timeline. In such a case, you get what you can when you can.

That’s fine for Schroder, but I hope Marks isn’t in a rush to get deals done for his other veterans. I do expect Dorian Finney-Smith to be traded sometime within the next 40 days or so, but let’s not minimize how outstanding he’s been this season at a heavily-valued position. Opposing teams had to have seen him guard the league’s elite while shooting 44.8% on three-pointers.

Whereas Schroder was acquired by Golden State to fill the more modest role of organizing their second unit, Finney-Smith can be a 30-minutes per game difference maker in the playoffs. Though also practically a rental (he has a player option for next season), Finney-Smith’s nearly $15 million salary cap hit makes him more affordable than, say, Jerami Grant, Brandon Ingram, or Kyle Kuzma for potential trade partners concerned with hard caps and apron rules.

That’s worth a first-rounder, and Marks needs to play hardball to make it happen. First team to offer a 1, even if fairly protected, gets him, leaving the others craving him in the lurch. Finney-Smith is better than Royce O’Neale, who fetched three 2s from Phoenix at last year’s trade deadline. The Nets have more than enough second rounders in their inventory, thank you.

I maintain that a Dallas reunion is the best trade fit for Finney-Smith. The Mavs have a 2031 first rounder they can move but only have a little more than $500,000 available for salary differences under the first apron hard cap. Marks, meanwhile, supposedly has two conditions on any trade returns: Expiring contracts only and staying under the luxury tax threshold (the Nets are currently about $1.5 million under, per Spotrac.com). It’s on the two clubs to finagle the consideration (Quentin Grimes? Dante Exum? A third team?) without either team going over their respective barrier.

As for wing Cam Johnson, I don’t consider the urgency to dump him the same as with Schroder and Finney-Smith since he has two more seasons on his contract. As noted by Spotrac.com’s Keith Smith, among others, the league’s new collective bargaining agreement has made it harder to construct in-season trades. There might be only a handful of teams who aren’t constricted by some kind of hard cap if they’re not already above the second apron, which forbids the aggregating of salaries in trades. Johnson’s cap hit for 2024-25, per Smith, is $23.625 million, but his contract also includes $3.375 million in unlikely incentives that count towards the apron but not the cap. Got it? Neither do I, really.

There’s certainly an argument for trading Johnson now since his value is elevated—he’s finally developed into something more than a stand-still shooter without a drop in three-point efficiency. His production in most base statistics per game this season is above his career highs. Not to mention that a new team will be getting a player with superior Basketball IQ and prior NBA Finals experience.

The counterpoint: Getting rid of their floor general Schroder has really hamstrung Fernandez such that any thoughts that the Nets will sneak into the playoff/play-in race is now out the window no matter how brilliantly he coaches. So I think this is a case where the acquiring team will benefit way more from a trade than the Nets will “win” in gaining better lottery odds. In other words, the tank will proceed forward with or without Johnson.

Hence, Marks should have more leverage in these negotiations, which he must use to extract first-round picks. Plural. If there are no buyers, the Nets can wait until the offseason to reconsider their plan for Johnson.

This isn’t a fire sale where everything must go at any price.