SAN FRANCISCO — Dennis Schroder’s youngest son, Dennis Jr., quickly eased his mind and the shock of his well-traveled father being traded by the NBA again.
The delighted boy found out they were going to the Golden State Warriors and he already had the No. 30 Stephen Curry jersey.
“He said, ‘Oh, we’re lucky, at least we’re a good team now,'” Schroeder recalled with a smile the five-year-old’s reaction. “That was the first thing, I had to laugh and I was in a bad mood. He’s certainly a Stephen Curry fan. … He watches every game and all he does is basketball, He would be happy to see him. Even yesterday when I came in, he was like, “Is Steph Curry here?” “I was like, ‘Aren’t you going to ask me how I’m doing?'”
Schroder appreciates Curry’s scoring performance, as the veteran guard prides himself on being equally reliable on the defensive end.
He’s played alongside a lot of great stars in recent years, and now adding Curry and Draymond Green to that list — it’s sure to take some pressure off both of them.
“I can’t wait to get it done with these guys on Thursday,” Schroeder said during his official debut at Chase Center on Tuesday, his first practice with the Warriors, his eighth NBA team. “I think it’s going to be special.”
Schroder will practice with the team again on Wednesday before traveling to Memphis to make his Golden State debut Thursday night against the Grizzlies. He chose jersey number 71, a new version of his previous number 17 – the favorite number of his late father Axel.
“I have to stick with it and I’m going to turn them around,” said Schroeder, acquired in a trade from Brooklyn over the weekend.
While coach Steve Kerr wants Schroder to start alongside Curry, he “will definitely play all of the non-Steph minutes.”
The 31-year-old Schroeder averaged 18 points per game against the Warriors — “It’s no surprise, I’ve had enough of him,” said Kerr, who looks forward to Schroeder becoming a player who can help the ball The team improved its players on both sides of the ball. End the game by getting things in order.
“I like high energy,” Kerr said, eager for Schroeder to take some of the pressure off Curry. “Dennis, he’s a player, he’s a competitor and I like that.”
General manager Mike Dunleavy hopes this will be a league beyond this season.
For now, the Warriors are counting on Curry’s scoring boost and complementary guards. Schroeder averaged 18.4 points and 6.6 assists per game this season.
“It’s no secret, we need to improve our offense and sometimes make some changes to what you’re doing, philosophically that’s the right way to go about it,” Dunleavy said. “So we’ll see how things go. … We may have to change some things in order to play to his strengths.”
This team is determined to win another championship before Curry and Green leave. Curry, who turns 37 in March, will be entering his 16th season as a pro, while Green turns 35 in March.
The idea of playing defense alongside Green excites Schroeder.
“Really looking forward to playing on the court with another Hall of Famer who’s always been bad when he’s on the other side, talking dirty, trash-talking, being competitive,” Schroeder said.
Green insists Golden State must adapt to Schroder to help him find his way with the new lineup.
“I don’t think he necessarily was brought here to adapt,” Green said. “We play a certain style of basketball that he doesn’t really play. I don’t think our goal is for him to play the style of basketball that we play. We need a guy that can do what he does. So I’m looking forward to that. We adapt to him.”
The Warriors sent injured guard De’Anthony Melton and guard Reese Beekman to the Nets. Melton will miss the remainder of the season while recovering from surgery to repair his left anterior cruciate ligament.
In addition, Golden State will receive next year’s second-round pick (a top-37 protected pick that originally belonged to Miami), and Brooklyn will receive three second-round picks – in 2026 and 2028. (Both via Atlanta), Golden State has draft picks available in 2026 and 2028. 2029.
Dunleavy briefed Curry and Green on potential moves at the appropriate time.
“To be clear, those guys didn’t knock on my door and call me: ‘Hey, we have to do a deal. We need this guy. We need that guy.’ “They never did,” Dunleavy explain. “Do I keep them informed? Yes. Do they give this move a thumbs up? Yes.”
