NBA Rumors: The Atlanta Hawks May Have a Tough Time Trying to Trade Dennis Schroder
Schroder recently said that he wants to be on a contending team during his prime
The Atlanta Hawks are in full rebuild mode, and they will likely be accumulating high draft picks over the next few years.
Dennis Schroder, the team's lead guard and top scorer for this past season, apparently does not want to be involved in that rebuild.
During a recent press conference in Germany, Schroder addressed his current situation with the Hawks.
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International basketball reporter David Hein took note of Schroder's comments during that press conference and posted them in separate tweets.
First off, Schroder admitted that he does not really know what the franchise is planning at the moment, which is why he intends to go back to Atlanta soon. While in Atlanta, Schroder said that he wants to talk to the team owner and general manager to discuss the franchise's future plans.
Schroder then added that he wants to be competitive during his prime, and he also indicated that he does not want to finish near the bottom of the Eastern Conference again, as the Hawks did this past season.
Schroder even indicated during that press conference that the Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks are organizations "going in the right direction" and that he wouldn't mind being traded to one of those teams.
It sure seems like Schroder is planting the seeds for a possible trade request.
Here's the thing, though: even if Schroder formally asks the Hawks to trade him, he is not going to be an easy player to move for a variety of reasons.
The first reason is that Schroder is not exactly the elite-level player every team is looking for.
While he did increase his scoring output this season, his shooting percentages went down across the board, as can be seen on his Basketball Reference page. That would seem to suggest that Schroder is not a very efficient scorer and that he hasn't set himself apart with his passing and defense too.
Another reason why the Hawks may struggle to move Schroder is that point guard is a pretty deep position in the league currently.
Even some of the worst teams in the league already have long-term answers at point guard, and those that don't will likely not need to deal for Schroder just to acquire one as free agency and the NBA draft are looming.
Schroder's contract may make it difficult for the Hawks to move him as well.
It's hard to imagine that many teams being thrilled about paying Schroder $15.5 million per year over the next three seasons when there are low-cost options available.
Also, even though Schroder is still a relatively young player, he may already be operating at peak capacity, so any team that will trade for him will have to be content with the kind of player he already is today.
For the Hawks to be able to move Schroder, they may need to take on salary or be content with a lesser return. Otherwise, they may be stuck with a point guard who does not want to spend his prime years in Atlanta.
