All These Reported Dennis Schroder Trades Are Garbage And Brad Stevens Knows It

Sean Gardner. Getty Images.

Seeing as this is the first NBA Trade Deadline for Brad Stevens since he became the boss, I think we're all a little curious about what he'll do. We know Wyc and ownership wants them to get under the tax. That's not news and we'll have more on than once the dust settles. There are a variety of ways for Brad to get there, some involve moving Dennis while others revolve around end of bench money that will most likely never play a second for the Celts. 

The big debate around Dennis is a premise Celts fans are all too familiar with. Do you risk losing an asset for nothing? Should you move him now, even if you get a 2nd round pick back, because again, something is better than nothing for a player that will most likely have a new home in 2022-23. If the idea is to go big game hunting this summer, having as much draft capital to throw into the pot is something to consider, but at what cost?

What I mean by that is if the Celts have other avenues to get under the tax which will keep Wyc happy, I'm not sure they should be actively trying to get worse just so they can move off Dennis. My thoughts on Schroder were pretty clear from the second he was signed for that $5.9M deal. He was a hired gun and was really only here for a year at best. He knew the deal, the team knew the deal, fans knew the deal, and if we got to this time of year and there wasn't a deal that made sense, you figured the team would, be OK losing Dennis for nothing. 

When you factor in how much better the team has looked over the last 6 weeks

you could understand why not making a conscious decision to make your roster worse all for like a 2nd round pick makes much sense. Is Dennis perfect? No, but he's not someone who need to exactly remove from your roster immediately in order to be successful.

Then you factor in what actual deals are out there. For all the ones we hear about, I'm sure there are dozens more that don't get reported, but what has come out so far is pretty terrible. First, there was the reported deal with the Bucks that died on the table

Yeah, I don't know why anyone would want to give up BOTH Dennis and Grant for DiVinenzo. That doesn't make a whole lot of sense. It's good to see that Brad is not in the business of letting opposing GMs take advantage of him. I'd rather lose Dennis for nothing than lose Dennis AND Grant for a player that doesn't exactly solve too many issues this team currently has. That's an easy pass for me.

Then there's this proposed deal from the Cavs

Again, that is garbage. Is Ed Davis better than Enes? I guess. But Pangos or Windler do not do a thing for me. Sure Windler is shooting 38% from three….on just 1.5 3PA. No thanks. Not really interested in being in the business of helping the Cavs get better while only taking back their trash. In a situation like this, I'd rather just keep Dennis and let him walk. 

That's where it becomes tricky and why leverage is so important. Teams probably know Brad needs to get his roster under the tax, so they lowball/try to take advantage. That's why I really think the first move we see Brad make (if any) is getting that end of bench money off his books so he can be under the tax without moving Dennis. That changes the dynamic of a negotiation I would think. It gives Brad some power back. He'd under the tax and gets to keep a player that has been fine in his role. If the idea is to show Tatum and Brown that you are not punting on the season, my guess is not actively making your roster worse is probably a good way to do just that. 

This does not mean I am against moving Dennis. I'm just not really in a rush. Not if it makes them worse. I don't need to see a deal just to see a deal. If the deals above are the ones that teams are offering Brad for Dennis, then they can kick rocks. Will it be unfortunate if he leaves for nothing? I guess, but I'm not going to lose sleep over like a second round pick. He was a hired gun right from the jump. If he plays well and that benefits the Celts for the rest of the year/playoffs and that earns himself a nice payday this summer, good for him. Everyone can walk away happy. 

I know we're seeing trades fly right now, but we're still early in this whole process. Thursday is still a ways a way. Negotiating tactics are going to chance over these next 3 days. Leverage changes, posturing changes. We are in no way near the end of this thing.

I just know those purposed offers are garbage and I'm happy Brad said no. For a guy who is doing this for the first time, gotta say I love his judgment so far.

P.S.

Biggest sign Brad might know what he's doing? He knows it's fuck the Lakers now and forever