I'm very curious where this team goes at guard.
Smart is going to start as long as he's here and I think he's here the rest of the year (while I have said I think long term he's the guy who gets moved, I don't think in season is when the right player will be available).
Schroder though..... Ime has gone away from pairing Smart and Schroder hard in the last few weeks, as he should, they don't work (he basically has only used them when Jaylen gets in foul trouble). That means two things to me though:
1. Schroder is seeing less minutes
2. Schroder isn't going to be here long term no matter what, with the salary limitations it was unlikely, but the fit is such I doubt they want him back even at a salary starting at $7M.
So, they need to decide if they are running it out with him, or moving him.
If they do move him, who benefits?
The logical thought is PP, BUT... he's been terrible, and he's definitely a massive defensive weakness.
There are two other options:
1. They add a different bench PG, probably a vet, either through a trade or a buyout.
2. Something we saw them experiment with in the POR game... no true PG. Put Romeo out there more and run offense through Tatum.
#1 is the safe play,
#2 is maybe the upside play. Romeo's defense has been really good for most of this year, that unit is a monster defensively, and in limited minutes running Point Tatum has been pretty effective. It also lets you be more flexible, you can play Romeo or Richardson. If the rumors of looking for another shooter at the wing or swing spots (Holiday, etc.) are true, that fits this as well. We have a lot of wings, but if you're not playing a true PG behind Smart you have room for more secondary ballhandler/shooter wings.