After they acquired him at the last trade deadline, Dennis Schröder became a hugely useful player down the stretch of the Detroit Pistons’ first playoff appearance in five years. With him in the fold as a playmaker, scoring threat, half-court creator and clutch-time shot-maker, the Pistons shored up the rotational weakness opened up by the injury to Jaden Ivey, and rode Schröder’s fearlessness to win their first playoff game in 17 years.
It went about as well as it could have done, and Schröder seems to want to continue the relationship. Unfortunately, by Schröder’s own account, it seems as though the feeling is not reciprocated.
In an Instagram live stream – which, as an aside, seems like something an impending free agent should probably not be doing, for fear of saying the wrong thing – Schröder seemed pretty emphatic in his belief that the Pistons would not be bringing him back on a new contract. In his exact words; “I want to stay in Detroit, but Detroit ain’t waiting for me.”
Schröder Reportedly Headed Back West
Schröder’s statement seems to accord with the latest reports in the NBA’s rumor mill. Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line previously indicated that the German international is likely to sign with the Sacramento Kings, who are unmistakably in the market for a point guard. It is said to be the consensus position around the league that Schröder and the Kings will, in the parlance of reality television, couple up.
This is not to say that the Pistons no longer need Schröder, or one like him. Although Ivey should be ready to return from his broken leg injury by the time next season rolls around, the Pistons still have an excessive reliance on the playmaking and gravitational effect of Cade Cunningham, and would benefit from having better secondary and tertiary playmakers with which to facilitate offence. Shooters such as Malik Beasley need drivers to facilitate the spacing they need.
Beasley’s own free agency situation impacts upon Schröder’s. It always has. Although the Pistons will have some money to spend – at least the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception, and potentially a larger amount if they opt to act as an over-the-cap team – that money runs out quickly. And if Beasley were to require the mid-level exception to re-sign, as expected, then all of Detroit’s financial freedom would have been spent staying together rather than getting better.
The latest news out of Detroit concerning Beasley, however, may have put Schröder back in the Pistons’ thoughts.
Pistons Plans May Have Just Been Blown Up
A bombshell today first reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania reveals that Beasley is “under investigation” by the US District Attorney’s office for alleged gambling related to NBA games and prop bets. Because of this, negotiations between him and the Pistons have been put on indefinite hold.
The Pistons were reportedly intending to bring back Beasley, with a follow-up by Charania putting him in line for a three-year, $42 million contract. If that is now over with, the Pistons will have more money to spend, but also a greater need for quality guards.
Beasley and Schröder are very different players, but both were important parts of how the Pistons were able to improve throughout the course of last season like they did. To lose both would be to take two steps backwards.
Unlike Beasley, or any external free agents such as Nickeil Alexander-Walker (whom the Pistons are considered one of the leading favorites to sign), Schr̦der will not require any cap space or exceptions to re-sign, other than his own Bird rights. His brash personality can lead to the quick burning of bridges; his status as a journeyman did not come from nowhere. Yet Schr̦der can also quite clearly do a job, and do it for a competitive price. It is something the Pistons needed, it is something they will continue to need Рand if anything comes of the Beasley investigation, it is something they will really need.
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