The Golden State Warriors traded for Dennis Schroder from the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday, in exchange for the injured De’Anthony Melton (ACL) along with three unprotected second-round draft picks and two-way guard Reece Beekman. With the trade, the Warriors have landed a tenacious defensive pest who can take some of the scoring load off Stephen Curry. Besides scoring and point of attack defense, Schroder brings heart and grit to the Bay, inspiring teammates to play hard on both sides of the ball for all 48 minutes. However, while the German guard is a valuable addition, the Warriors still need a star-caliber player beside Curry, and analysts wonder if the Dubs could parlay Schroder into the player they really need.

“[The Warriors] remain active in the hunt for a star player, and they can aggregate Schroder’s contract in a bigger move later this season,” reported NBA insider Shams Charania for ESPN.

Pending further deals, though, the Dubs have already slotted Schroder into their starting lineup.

“The Warriors envision starting lineups with Dennis Schroder and Stephen Curry in the backcourt, with Schroder able to alleviate ball-handling responsibilities at point guard,” Charania added. “Golden State made him a priority to complete this deal.”

Are the Dubs doing another trade?

This trade is a win-win for both the Warriors and the Nets, as Dennis Schroder should bring immediate two-way impact for the Dubs while the Nets receive further draft capital and another tradable asset in De’Anthony Melton.

Likewise, Schroder has given Golden State some headaches in the playoffs, particularly their 2023 second-round series between the Los Angeles Lakers, where he helped limit Curry and Jordan Poole en route to the Lakers’ victory in six games.

Several other teams, including the Lakers, could have used Schroder’s services, but the Warriors scooped him up while keeping their young players like Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, and Brandin Podziemski.

After this deal, the Warriors could then pool Schroder’s contract with a few of the team’s young players in a package for a star-level player, like Brandon Ingram or Zach LaVine, remedying their failure to land Lauri Markkanen or Paul George in the offseason.

“The latest labor deal instituted a new exception to the aggregation restrictions by stating that players who are traded by Dec. 16 in any given NBA season can be aggregated in another trade before that season’s trade deadline,” per NBA insider Marc Stein on The Stein Line.

Broadly, the NBA’s new CBA means trade activity can start earlier in the season, compared to previous seasons where fans waited for Woj or Shams to break news during the week of the trade deadline, or on the deadline itself.

Can the Warriors swing a home-run trade and become true championship contenders overnight?