No trade will top what the Los Angeles Lakers achieved when they acquired Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks. One of the few moves that stood a chance, however, transpired on the night of Wednesday, Feb. 5, as the Miami Heat sent Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors.
Butler is the headlining name in the deal, with All-Star wing Andrew Wiggins joining the Heat being the other big development, but one name on the move could directly impact the Lakers.
Butler joining the Warriors creates a new form of competition for the Lakers in the Western Conference. Stephen Curry and Draymond Green now have an All-NBA teammate who has led a team to the NBA Finals as recently as 2023.
According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the other players involved in the trade are Kyle Anderson, Dennis Schröder, and Wiggins.
Per Charania, the Utah Jazz will be acquiring Schröder as the third team involved in this blockbuster deal.
Based on Utah's place in the Western Conference standings, it's rational to believe that Schröder could be a buyout candidate—and the Lakers could thus bring him in for a third stint.
Could Lakers bring Dennis Schröder in for a third stint?
Utah is currently 11-37, sitting at the bottom of the standings in the Western Conference. Only the 8-41 Washington Wizards have a worse record than the Jazz, which is a clear indication of how unlikely it is for the Salt Lake squad to turn things around and make the playoffs.
As such, it stands to reason that the Jazz could explore a buyout with Schröder and thus make him available to the Lakers.
If that were to transpire, Schröder could become eligible for a third stint in Los Angeles. He previously played for the Lakers in 2020-21 and 2022-23, helping the purple and gold reach the Western Conference Finals during his second term with the team.
This time around, the Lakers would be hypothetically adding Schröder to an entirely different team from a structural perspective.
Rather than working the ball into Davis, Schröder would be playing alongside Doncic. They'd certainly form an intriguing backcourt from an offensive perspective, as both players are capable of creating for themselves and others.
More importantly, Schröder could help address the Lakers' greatest offensive flaw: A consistent inability to create offense via the second unit.
Los Angeles is currently No. 28 in the NBA in bench points per game. With Doncic and Austin Reaves operating as starters, Schröder could provide immense value to the second unit with his current averages of 14.4 points and 5.5 assists in 29.8 minutes per game.
It remains to be seen how viable this acquisition would be, but a familiar face rejoining the Lakers may be a more realistic possibility than it once seemed.
