The NBA trade deadline came and went for the Los Angeles Lakers without much fanfare. Although the team was rumored to be a serious contender for Kyle Lowry’s services, a deal ultimately failed to materialize.
According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, the defending champs were willing to part ways with three members of the team for Lowry: Dennis Schroder, Montrezl Harrell and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
However, the Toronto Raptors wanted the one player they wouldn’t give up: Talen Horton-Tucker. As such nothing happened. This created something of an awkward dynamic for the three guys L.A. was willing to move.
On Friday, Schroder spoke out about his feelings and his desire to remain with the Lakers once he enters free agency in the offseason:
Schroder said:
"It’s a crazy business.
“At the end of the day, I want to play the season out… I for sure want to be a Laker, but I want to see my options… I want to see my options, but I want to be a Laker. … It needs to be fair for both sides, and I’m going to stay with that.”
This isn’t the first time Schroder has brought up the concept of fairness as it pertains to his next Lakers deal.
The defending champs are in a tricky situation.
On one hand, they just got bad news regarding LeBron James’ recovery time. And that’s in addition to the unfortunate Anthony Davis update from last week. On the other, hamstringing the franchise by over-investing in Schroder could have massive ramifications down the line.
One way or another, the Lakers are going to need to figure out how much they’re willing to pay Schroder. And it needs to be enough to keep him satisfied. If a common ground isn’t reached, things could get messy at the end of this season.
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