A swap among friends: Schröder vs. Theis
In the NBA, the German internationals Dennis Schröder and Daniel Theis switch teams. However, two dissatisfied people get more attention, one of whom even refused to work.
There were rumors about work refusal in several other sports disciplines. Soccer fans for example could find valuable information and odds on smartbets.com about their favorite teams, and whether they would actually refuse playing on certain occasions.
In the NBA there has been speculation for weeks: will he end up with the defending champion in Milwaukee? In Cleveland, where they think they have a good chance of making the playoffs for the first time in a long time? Or maybe the Golden State Warriors, one of the league's glamor teams? But it was not until Thursday that his old employer ended all speculation with a surprise. Dennis Schröder is next up for the Houston Rockets, a club no one had counted on.
The swap made it possible for the Boston Celtics to bring back an old acquaintance from Texas who had only led a shadowy existence there: 29-year-old Daniel Theis, Schröder's friend from their days in Braunschweig. In his first three years in the NBA in Boston, he had made himself popular as a selfless and effective center.
Knowledge has never been more valuable
The contract, which Theis signed in 2021 and which guarantees him a total salary of 20.6 million dollars until 2024, remains in place - typical of the customs in American team sports. Schröder's future, however, is uncertain. The 29-year-old point guard had only one option left before the season started to stay in the NBA: a single-season deal with the Celtics for a comparatively modest $5.8 million. This contract expires in June. His most important performance figures - 14.4 points and 4.2 assists per game - are a touch above his career average. But the trend is slightly downward.
Work refuser Simmons has a new club
The two Germany internationals were part of a merry-go-round that the league allows its teams to give them one last chance before the playoffs (starting April 12 this year) to modify their squads, get rid of legacy ones and in turn, come up with promising ones to strengthen forces. A possibility that 22 of the 30 clubs used. A total of 56 basketball players were affected, equivalent to just over ten percent of all NBA professionals.
The most notable exchange deal involved two exceptional basketball players -- James Harden, the 2017-18 MVP and 10-time All-Star, and Ben Simmons, the just 25-year-old high-flying Australian who has had a rare case in the NBA since last spring staged a refusal to work in order to force an exchange. It took a while for the 76ers to find respectable value and for the Nets to be willing to ditch Brooklyn's disaffected Harden.
Arrangements with the top players are particularly difficult. Because the rules of the league state that the financial effect for both teams must be in the black at the end. So it became necessary for the Harden-Simmons transaction to put together an extensive package with three additional players and two draft places.
