Sacramento Kings guard Dennis Schroder didn’t mince words when asked about the rumors swirling around his team with the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline fast approaching.
“I don’t give a f--- about that,” Schroder said. “At the end of the day, I enjoy every single day being in the NBA. I don’t take it for granted.”
Schroder’s remarks came after the Kings opened a six-game road trip with a 123-118 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday before a sellout crowd of 19,432 at Rocket Arena.
Schroder came off the bench to score 21 points, but the Kings lost their fourth in a row. They have the second-worst record in the Western Conference and the fourth-worst record in the NBA.
The Kings’ roster could look much different by the time they go home to face the Memphis Grizzlies on Feb. 4 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. Kings general manager Scott Perry is looking to reconstruct an aging and imbalanced roster that has a logjam in the backcourt while lacking long, athletic wings.
Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Malik Monk, Keon Ellis and Schroder himself have been the subject of trade rumors and speculation in recent weeks.
Schroder is one of the most-traded players in recent NBA history. He was traded three times in 24 hours last season, going from the Brooklyn Nets to the Golden State Warriors, Utah Jazz and Detroit Pistons.
Schroder said the Kings haven’t let trade rumors become a distraction in the locker room.
“Everybody else in this locker room, they’re just going to play,” Schroder said. “Nothing is going to change really. You’re going to have the same salary. Of course, you’re going to have new teammates when something happens, a new organization, but at the end of the day, you’re still one of 400 people in the NBA out of eight billion (in the world) who play this game, and I think everybody should look at it this way.”
Kings coach Doug Christie agreed that the trade rumors don’t seem to be weighing on his players.
“When we get together and we have meals and we talk, most times they’re just chilling,” Christie said. “This is the area that we come to and we relax. These are the 2 ½ hours that we come and everything goes away for a second. If you’re feeling that, and I’ve been in that position, it can happen, but this is a brotherhood. We’re here together and we’re going to ride together. That’s what we do.”