The Raptors and Nets are both on the outside looking in on the East’s Play-In race as we reach the NBA trade deadline, with each having to take a look at retooling around young wings in Scottie Barnes and Mikal Bridges.
The Nets, by all accounts, still want to try and win this year, while Toronto has reason to bottom out, as their first round pick is only top-6 protected after trading it to San Antonio for Jakob Poeltl last year. That made the two teams interesting trade partners at the deadline, as they engaged in a rare player-for-player swap at the same position, with Spencer Dinwiddie heading to Toronto and Dennis Schroder and Thaddeus Young making the move to Brooklyn, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Raptors are trading Dennis Schroder to the Nets for Spencer Dinwiddie, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 8, 2024
Thad Young is heading to Brooklyn along with Dennis Schroder, sources said, in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie.
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) February 8, 2024
Dinwiddie is averaging 12.6 points and 6.0 assists per game on 39.1/32.0/78.1 shooting splits, as he’s had a rough shooting year in Brooklyn, while Schroder is averaging 13.7 points and 6.1 assists on 44.2/35.0/85.2 shooting splits in Toronto.
The deal gets Toronto off of the $13 million owed to Schroder next year, while the Nets get a point guard having a better season (who also has some defensive chops) to play alongside Bridges and Cam Johnson. All told, it’s shuffling deck chairs for both teams, but a move that makes sense for both.