The Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets are swapping point guards, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The Raptors will receive Spencer Dinwiddie while the Nets will bring in Dennis Schroder and will also receive Thaddeus Young. Rarely will a team simply swap two veterans at the same position, but this deal checks boxes for both sides.
Dinwiddie is struggling mightily this season. He is shooting just 39.1% from the field and 32% from 3-point range as Brooklyn's starting point guard, and the Nets have fallen to 20-30 in part due to his play. In Schroder, the Nets land an upgrade. Schroder is a scrappy defender and an improved 3-point shooter. Though he was coming off of the bench for Toronto lately due to the arrival of Immanuel Quickley, he has been a starter in the past and is locked into a reasonable $13 million salary for next season.
That salary was likely what motivated this deal for the Raptors. They are currently positioned to have significant cap space this offseason, and with Quickley in place as their starting point guard, they no longer need Schroder around to take up any of that space. Now they clear an extra $13 million in space that they can use to add other players over the summer as Dinwiddie's contract is expiring.
Neither the Nets nor the Raptors are in the championship picture at the moment, but both are rebuilding with an eye on a quick turnaround. Schroder can help the Nets in that respect, while extra cap space should go a long way for the Raptors during the offseason.