After leading Germany to a bronze medal and winning EuroBasket MVP honors in 2025, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Dennis Schröder was one of the most popular players in the NBA. Having been drafted in 2013, it definitely wasn’t because he was a novelty in the league. Instead, the source of the fanfare was the way Schröder played in FIBA tournaments versus the NBA. Not necessarily in terms of play style but certainly in terms of aggressiveness and effectiveness.
Consequently, when the 2025-26 season tipped off, there was a genuine belief that Schröder’s Bildungsroman could have a late-stage peak. Initially poised to enter the season as a full-time starter for the Sacramento Kings, the 32-year-old’s experience took a sharp turn just three weeks into the season. Three months later, he found himself being traded.
Cavs’ Dennis Schroder Critiques Kings’ Integrity After Trade Deadline Transaction
In an interview with Golden Hoops podcast host André Voigt, Schröder expressed his true feelings about his Kings experience (h/t HoopsHype):
“But I have to say one thing: with Sacramento, with Christie, it’s extremely difficult right now. I don’t want to build contact there right now, because the situation was extremely difficult, and I think what they said and what they did simply were not—uh, it just wasn’t the same. And that really, well, what does ‘hurt’ mean? I’m in a better situation now.
“But when someone says something, I’m always a fan of making sure we keep it that way. If I tell someone, ‘Hey, we’re going to do this and this,’ then I don’t suddenly go off to the right, you know? So, you should always keep your word, and unfortunately the Sacramento Kings didn’t do that. And that’s a shame.”
The Grass Wasn’t Greener On Russell Westbrook’s Side
Classily, Schröder avoids throwing his former teammate under the bus. Nonetheless, there’s no doubt that Kings head coach Doug Christie’s perception of Russell Westbrook had a direct correspondence to his eventual demotion.
For the first 12 games of the season, Schröder was the first unit’s floor general, averaging 11.3 points and 6.0 assists per contest. He definitely had a cold spell in the five latest starts of that stretch, shooting a sickly 22.7% from the field. However, he looked much like FIBA Schröder in the first seven outings, converting 45.7% of his field goal attempts while averaging 14.9 points per game.
Understandably, most fans were focused on the team’s win-loss record though. On top of that, Westbrook’s status as a former league MVP means his play is filtered through that lens. While he’s averaged 13.5 points and 6.1 assists per game over the past three seasons, numbers that bore similarity to Schröder’s first 12 games with the Kings, many considered him to be a significant upgrade at point guard. This despite the fact that Westbrook had remained unsigned until the 11th hour of the offseason free agency period.
At first, Sacramento attempted to start Schröder and Westbrook together. As expected, this didn’t work too well, primarily because of how it negatively impacted the defense. To be fair, both players are better than they’re usually given credit for at that end. Yet, neither could be considered reliable at the point of attack. These issues were compounded by the Kings’ other defensively-challenged starters, namely Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. Even with Westbrook shooting an unprecedented 39.7% from 3-point range 12 games into the season, Sactown was just 3-9.
The Last Word on the Kings Trading Dennis Schroder
Obviously, it hasn’t gotten any better for the Kings. From the time Schröder was initially demoted from the starting lineup to now, Westbrook has started in 51 games, averaging 15.4 points and 6.8 assists per game on .424-.326-.692 shooting splits. Sacramento has gone 13-38 in those contests.
Strangely, he’s largely dodged accountability. Part of this is because a number of fans believe he’s been judged unfavorably, on and off the court. Whether because they idolize or simply support him, fans often insulate him from criticism. His vintage performances are painted as what he’s still capable of doing nightly rather than occasionally. The Hall of Fame factor plays a role as well. To that point, so many fans jump with joy when he climbs an all-time leaderboard, it obscures his problematic weaknesses.
If Christie himself wasn’t one of those fans, perhaps the Kings’ would be in a better position.
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