It's a business: seven weeks after Brooklyn Nets debut an extensive video profile of Dennis Schröder, he gets traded.

From February 2024

In working on my end-of-the-year round-up, I noticed the February 2024 advertisement at right, in which the Brooklyn Nets, unable to rely on superstars, promoted--duh--the borough: "For Brooklyn, By Brooklyn."

Whatever that means.

It should be noted that the team's two best players, Mikal Bridges (at right) and Dennis Schröder (at left), have both since been traded, to the New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors, respectively.

(I'm not sure who's in the center.)

The New York Post's Brian Lewis Dec. 16 quoted Net Dorian Finney-Smith--another trade candidate, by the way, given the team's turn to tanking for a top draft pick--as saying of the Schröder trade, in part, “It's tough. But it's part of the business. We’re going to miss him."

For the umpteenth time, it's a business.

Shifting locations

So it was wise of Schröder to not quite fully invest in Brooklyn, choosing to rent--not buy--a Red Hook townhouse for $40,000 a month, as reported in September.

At his introductory press conference earlier this week in San Francisco, Schröder said, "I liked the situation in Brooklyn. We just got settled in the house, shipped everything over, unpacked everything, and then we got the call. At the end of the day, me and my family, we're happy now."

On October 28, some seven weeks earlier, the Brooklyn Nets premiered a well-done video profiling Schröder's journey, "From Braunschweig [in Germany] To Brooklyn," presented (of course) by a sponsor, by Qatar Airways. (Notably, a Black man is a hero, today, in his home country.)

 

A month ago, one fan commented on YouTube, "Such a heartwarming documentary, I got goosebumps the whole time. I'm saving money to come to Brooklyn in January 2025 and see Dennis play there, that would be a dream come true."

Five days ago, another riposted, "I heard he switch to San Francisco."

These things happen in the world of privately owned "sports entertainment corporations."