Report: 76ers tried to trade for Schroder, prepared to offer him max deal
The Philadelphia 76ers reportedly haven't given up their dogged pursuit of a point guard.
The Sixers have improved by leaps and bounds since scooping up Ish Smith at the end of December, but they continue to carry the league's worst turnover rate by a considerable margin. Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie said earlier in December that having the steady-handed Kendall Marshall healthy (he missed the season's first two months recovering from ACL surgery) could've made all the difference for his 8-47 team.
True to that belief, Philadelphia made a spirited push to trade for Atlanta Hawks reserve point guard Dennis Schroder at last week's deadline, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Pompey reports that the Sixers offered various packages that included some combination of Smith, Nik Stauskas, JaKarr Sampson, and one of their 2016 first-round picks (they could have up to four) to the Hawks in exchange for Schroder.
Smith was ineligible to be dealt as part of a multi-player trade because he'd been acquired fewer than 60 days prior to the deadline, but the Sixers could have used a loophole and traded him alone in a separate deal.
Though the Hawks didn't bite, a source told Pompey that the two teams are expected to revisit the trade talks in the lead-up to (and possibly during) draft night on June 23. If still nothing materializes, the Sixers will reportedly wait out Schroder's contract with the Hawks (which runs through the 2016-17 season) and then offer him a maximum contract in free agency.
Schroder has primarily served as a backup in his three NBA seasons, but his production has suggested that he'd be a more-than-capable starter. The Hawks were reportedly willing to entertain trading incumbent starting point guard Jeff Teague at the deadline based in large part on their confidence that Schroder could take over the offense.
In 21 minutes per game this season, the 22-year-old German is averaging 11.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 4.7 assists - which translates to 19.1 points, five rebounds, and eight assists per 36 minutes. The Hawks have been 11.9 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor.