Why The Timing Of The Warriors' Trade For Dennis Schröder Matters

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 25: Dennis Schroder #17 of the Brooklyn Nets is guarded by ... [+] Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors in the first half at Chase Center on November 25, 2024 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

On Saturday, ESPN's Shams Charania reported the Golden State Warriors have agreed to send De'Anthony Melton and three second-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets for Dennis Schröder and one second-round pick. The deal can't become legal until Sunday, as Melton signed with the Warriors in free agency this past offseason, but Anthony Slater of The Athletic reported that it's "expected to become official in time for Schröder to join Warriors' practice early next week."

In all likelihood, the trade will be finalized by Monday at the latest. There's a sneaky reason for that, which Charania alluded to on ABC's NBA Countdown on Saturday night.

When a team acquires a player via a trade exception—in other words, not into cap space—it typically can't aggregate his contract in another deal for the next two months. However, the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement contains a limited carve-out for certain players.

If a player gets traded on or before Dec. 16 and the receiving team uses an exception to acquire him, his contract can get aggregated either the day before the trade deadline or the day of the trade deadline. If a player gets traded on Dec. 17 or later and the receiving team uses an exception to acquire him, his contract cannot get aggregated at the trade deadline.

That's a big deal for the Warriors in particular, who've reportedly been seeking a star to pair with Stephen Curry this season. Charania noted the Schröder trade "doesn't keep the Warriors outside the big-game hunting" and that they remain "active in the hunt" for a star.

Miami Heat swingman Jimmy Butler would be the obvious candidate for such a move. Charania reported earlier this week that the Warriors are one of the teams that Butler would be open to if the Heat decide to trade him. Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported Saturday that they're the "only team of the four most frequently mentioned as potential Butler suitors" with enough interest "that could eventually lead to some substantive trade talks."

However, it wouldn't be easy for the Warriors and Heat to swing such a deal. The Heat are currently over the first apron, which means they can't take back more salary than they send out in a trade. After the Schröder trade, the Warriors are now roughly $330,000 below the first apron, so they can take back only slightly more salary than they send out.

Butler is earning nearly $48.8 million this season. Outside of Curry, who's earning almost $55.8 million, the Warriors' next-highest-paid player is Andrew Wiggins at $26.3 million. Unless they were willing to include Draymond Green ($24.1 million) in a deal with Wiggins for Butler, they'd almost have to include Schröder's $13.0 million contract for salary-matching purposes.

Wiggins, Schröder and Jonathan Kuminga ($7.6 million) are earning a combined $46.9 million this year. That would at least get the Warriors in the ballpark of Butler's salary. From there, it'd likely be a matter of haggling over which small contracts and draft picks to include to balance out the deal for both sides.

Still, thanks to the Heat's apron restrictions, the Warriors and Heat would likely have to loop a third team into a trade. The Detroit Pistons all but declared themselves open for business in that regard by waiving Paul Reed on Saturday, whose $7.7 million contract was fully non-guaranteed until Jan. 10. They now have roughly $15.5 million in cap space, according to Spotrac's Keith Smith, which could enable them to help facilitate deals between two apron or-near apron teams.

Before Paul George signed with the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency this offseason, the Warriors were reportedly close to acquiring him in a trade. Now that the Sixers are an injury-riddled mess, it might be worth circling back on whether he might be available ahead of the trade deadline.

The Sixers likely won't cut bait on George this early. Although they're off to a dismal 7-16 start this season, they're still only two games behind the Nets for the No. 10 seed in the East. Their championship aspirations may already be on life support, but the playoffs aren't out of the question.

However, they suffered a pair of back-to-back blows over the weekend that could make them consider throwing in the towel on the year. First, star center Joel Embiid suffered a sinus fracture in Friday's loss to the Indiana Pacers. And on Saturday, the Sixers announced that Rookie of the Year front-runner Jared McCain had suffered a meniscus tear that will require surgery and sideline him indefinitely.

The back end of George's contract carries some major downside potential, particularly now that the Sixers have seen his inability to carry them without Embiid. They might decide they're better off with a two-stars-and-depth model rather than a Big Three, which would make the Warriors an ideal trade partner.

Like the Heat, the Sixers are also over the first apron, so they likewise can't take back more salary in a trade than they send out. They already have one open roster spot, though, so they could facilitate a 2-for-1 or 3-for-2 deal without having to cut someone. The Sixers and Warriors would still likely need to loop in a third team to swing a George trade, but given the Warriors' offseason interest in him, it could make sense for the two teams to engage in at least a cursory discussion ahead of the trade deadline.

Assuming that the Schröder trade becomes legal by Monday, the Warriors will have his $13.0 million contract to dangle at the trade deadline as part of a deal for Butler, George or another star. And unlike Melton, who's out for the year with a torn ACL, Schroder can provide some on-court value both for the Warriors now and for any team open to acquiring him at the deadline.

The Schröder deal is a win-win for the Warriors, particularly because of this new CBA carve-out for players who get traded by Dec. 16.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM. All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.