When the Utah Jazz acquired PJ Tucker, everyone knew he wouldn’t be in Utah for long. A few days later, the Dennis Schroder trade happens. Well, if the Jazz didn’t have any need for Tucker, the same certainly applies to Schroder.
His days with the Jazz are numbered, too. While that’s been the prevailing sentiment ever since the Jazz acquired him, ESPN’s Marc J. Spears confirmed it.
The Jazz are not expected to keep Dennis Schröder.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) February 6, 2025
Spears did not elaborate on what happens next with Schroder and the Jazz. He could either be traded or he could be bought out. The truth about Schroder is that he should be on a playoff team trying to win a title. It’s fair to say that that’s not the Jazz for now.
Funny enough, he technically has experience playing with John Collins from their days with the Atlanta Hawks. Collins’ first year coincided with Schroder’s last. But Schroder raises Utah’s floor, and they don’t need a floor-raiser.
How the Jazz could somewhat cash in on Dennis Schroder
Back when Tucker was with the Jazz oh so long ago, it was suggested that Utah float him to multiple contenders for draft compensation because Tucker’s expiring deal could help contenders save money. Now they have Schroder, who could do that and more.
The difference between the two is that Tucker would have been acquired only as a means of getting an expiring deal. Schroder provides that too, but for him, it’s even better because the team who would get him would gain cap flexibility and a quality rotation player.
Killing two birds with one stone is the dream for teams trying to win while also trying to save money in the process. Acquiring Schroder would do that, though he is a little unpredictable as a player, and that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s in consistent like a Jordan Clarkson-type.
Schroder is the kind of guy who fits with his team like a glove or he doesn’t in the worst way possible. This season has been evidence of that because Schroder was awesome on the Brooklyn Nets, but was a backfire for the Golden State Warriors.
One would suggest that any interested party would wait until Schroder hits the buyout market. The Jazz could use this to their advantage by pointing out that any interested Schroder suitor may not want to take their chances of letting him potentially slip away to a rival who immediately boosts their ceiling.
Schroder isn’t a run-of-the-mill buyout guy. He’s still good enough and fairly paid enough that teams should absolutely pounce on the chance to get him even with his cratered value. Utah will most likely play hardball, but not too hard at hardball.
