When the Boston Celtics completed a trade with the Houston Rockets right before the NBA trade deadline, many people assumed the buyout market was going to feature another good option at the point guard position. That is because no one expected Dennis Schroder to remain in Houston.
Schroder was traded to the Rockets in part because the Celtics were going to struggle to retain him this offseason. So, they traded him, Enes Freedom, and Bruno Fernando for a familiar face on Daniel Theis.
Freedom was waived almost immediately, and many figured Schroder would hit the open market soon after that. However, it doesn’t sound like any buyout talks between him and the Rockets are going to ensue.
According to Marc Stein, neither side wants to execute a buyout. As a result, it sounds like Schroder will play out the remainder of the season with the Rockets.
“Dennis Schroder is on course to finish the season in Houston, league sources say. Neither the Rockets nor Schroder favor a buyout, sources say, with a March 1 deadline looming for any buyout candidate leaguewide to be released to ensure playoff eligibility with his next team.”
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This is certainly an unexpected outcome as the rebuilding Rockets seemingly didn’t have a use for a veteran point guard. They had waived D.J. Augustin to make room for this trade to be done and have held John Wall on the sideline all season as they looked for a new team for him to play on.
Surprisingly, Schroder has been a big part of the team’s rotation since being acquired. He played 30 minutes in the final game before the All-Star break, which followed up a game in which he played 39 minutes. Schroder was in the starting lineup for those two games after playing 18 minutes off the bench in his debut with the Houston Rockets.
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This is a decision that will leave plenty of people scratching their heads, but it is one that the players on the team seem to be in favor of. Jalen Green recently spoke highly about the impact that Schroder had on the team almost right away.
While Houston will still be prioritizing the development of their young players, having some veterans to show them the way is still important. It is a role that Eric Gordon and Augustin were filling, and now Schroder is taking Augustin’s spot as that mentor in the backcourt.
