Dennis Schröder is heading to the Los Angeles Lakers per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Oklahoma City Thunder will be getting Danny Green and the 28th pick in this year’s draft in return.
The deal is set to officially go through on Wednesday during the draft.
Because of a restriction that does not allow teams to trade first-round picks in consecutive years, the Lakers cannot outright send the pick.
Instead, the Lakers must make the selection on behalf of the Thunder and then send the player in the trade.
Los Angeles had already sent their 2019 first-round selection to the New Orleans Pelicans in the deal that brought back Anthony Davis.
Oklahoma City will now have the 25th and 28th picks in the first round.
Schröder Top Trade Target in League
Schröder, 27, was one of the most sought after guards on the trade market.
The defending champs made the deal because they felt Rajon Rondo would leave the team this offseason.
The Lakers are making the trade for Oklahoma City's Dennis Schroder under the strong belief that they will be losing Rajon Rondo in free agency, league sources say
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) November 15, 2020
With Avery Bradley also set to leave, Schröder will help solidify the Lakers’ backcourt.
Schröder had arguably a career year last season with the Thunder.
He was runner-up for Sixth Man of the Year, posting averages of 18.9 PPG, 4.0 APG, 3.6 RPG.
Himself, Chris Paul, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made up a 3-guard lineup that was extremely effective.
However, Schröder consistently vocalized his desire to be back in the starting lineup.
Schröder has 1 year, $15.5 million remaining on his contract, but the Lakers intend to sign him to a long-term deal.
The 7-year veteran is in-line to be an every-day starter in Los Angeles.
Thunder Getting Veteran Wing and Pick
The Oklahoma City Thunder will be getting veteran Danny Green and the 28th pick in return.
With the Thunder seemingly at the beginning of a rebuild, fans shouldn’t expect to see Green in a Thunder uniform this season for long, if at all.
The Thunder are already shopping newly-acquired Danny Green.
Don’t expect to see DG in an OKC jersey next season.
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) November 15, 2020
Even though Green had a poor showing in the bubble, plenty of teams with title aspirations should be interested in the 33-year old wing.
He is a career 40% shooter from deep who has loads of playoff experience.
DG is a versatile defender capable of defending multiple positions.
The Thunder will be looking to acquire more picks in return for Green.
With picks 25 and 28, OKC could add two prospects or look to trade up a few spots.
According to reports from Kevin O’Connor at The Ringer, they are looking to move up in the draft to take Aleleksej Pokusevski.
Kevin O'Connor (Ringer) has the Thunder taking Aleleksej Pokusevski in his latest mock draft, and reports on OKC's interest in the potential unicorn. https://t.co/4wknVDdzVg Follow @KevinOConnorNBA #bolts pic.twitter.com/WvZzBIfnHm
— Daily Thunder (@dailythunder) November 1, 2020
With most mock drafts having Pokusevski going in the 18-22 range, he would likely be off the board by the time OKC’s pick comes around.
Packaging the 25th and 28th picks could interest some teams enough to trade back and allow OKC to draft the potential unicorn.
Aleleksej, per most scouting reports, has a very high upside with his 7’3″ wingspan and ability to shoot and pass.
However, his light frame (200 lbs) and weak past competition (EuroLeague – Greece) have scouts worried he could be a bust in the NBA.
NEXT: 2 Trades That Could Net The Lakers Their Third Superstar
