Thunder's Schroder: I wanted to be with 'winning-mentality organization'

Dennis Schroder will return to Atlanta for the first time since being traded to Oklahoma City when the Thunder take on the Hawks on Tuesday.

Schroder said he wasn't surprised by the trade and he wanted it, since he was ready to be with a "winning-mentality organization."

"I want to be (with) a winning-mentality organization," Schroder told reporters, via The Athletic. "You can't just go out there and try to lose. I'm a competitor. I just try to give everything out there. I want (the) organization to feel the same way."

Dennis Schroder on returning to Atlanta and why he requested a trade. "I want to be in a winning-mentality organization. I can't just go out there and try to lose." pic.twitter.com/dRQhtMWLTZ

— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) January 15, 2019

Last season, the Hawks finished with a 24-58 record, their worst since the 2004-05 season. This year the team appears to be on a similar route, posting a 13-30 mark heading into Tuesday's game.

Meanwhile, the Thunder have a 26-16 record and haven't had a losing season since 2008-09. Interestingly, that season was their first as the Oklahoma City Thunder after the team moved on from being the Seattle SuperSonics.

"Right now, with our organization, all the players who are in the locker room, all the coaches, they got a winning mentality," Schroder said. "That's what (makes it) fun — when you go out there and go to war with your brothers — there's nothing better than that."

Schroder is averaging 15.3 points this season with 4.4 assists and 3.7 rebounds in 29.2 minutes per game. He was drafted by Atlanta with the 17th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.