The Hawks signed Dennis Schröder to a new contract Wednesday (Getty)
With the deadline for NBA teams to agree to new deals with players still on their rookie contract being October 31, front offices and players alike will have some important decisions to make in the coming days. One such player was Atlanta Hawks point guard Dennis Schröder, who this summer became the team’s starting point guard after Jeff Teague was dealt to the Indiana Pacers. Wednesday afternoon it was announced that the Hawks and Schröder have agreed to a new four-year deal.
Schröder took to Twitter to announce the decision to re-sign with the Hawks, complete with a photo of him putting pen to paper.
According to Mark Stein of ESPN.com the deal is worth $70 million, and it will go into effect beginning with the 2017-18 season. Atlanta’s decision to trade Teague this summer was a clear sign that head coach Mike Budenholzer and the front office believed that Schröder was ready to take on the starting job and the responsibilities that come with it. With Wednesday’s move the Hawks have backed that up with a lucrative contract extension.
This season Schröder will make $2,708,582, with his qualifying offer (had the two sides not come to terms on a new deal) for the 2017-18 season being set at $3,824,518.
How This Helps the Hawks
As stated above, Atlanta made Schröder their starting floor general the moment they traded Teague to Indiana. The new contract provides added security for both sides, with the Hawks displaying their desire to have Schröder lead the team and Schröder displaying his desire to be that player by agreeing to the terms. Next summer has the potential to be an interesting one for the Hawks on the free agent market, as Kyle Korver is in the final year of his deal and Paul Millsap can opt out of the final year of his deal and become an unrestricted free agent. Getting Schröder locked into a new contract now means one less contract-related issue for the Hawks to deal with in the summer of 2017.
Last season the 6-foot-1 point guard from Germany averaged 11.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game in a reserve role. Per 36 minutes, those averages were 19.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 7.8 assists per contest, the best of his career. During last season’s playoffs, in which Atlanta eliminated Boston in six games before being swept by the Cavaliers, Schröder averaged 11.7 points and 3.6 assists per game. Schröder accounted for 27 points and six assists in Atlanta’s Game 1 loss to the Cavaliers, and he tallied 21 points and six assists in Game 4 of that series.
Schröder’s Deal Averages $15.5 Million Per Season
Schröder (right) and the Hawks had until Monday to agree to a new deal (Getty)
With the increase in the NBA salary cap more players have received lucrative contracts, especially those considered to be an integral part of their franchise. That’s the case for Schröder, and according to Stein’s report $62 million of the deal is guaranteed which works out to an average of $15.5 million per season. Entering his fourth season, the 23-year old native of Germany was drafted 17th overall by the Hawks in the 2013 NBA Draft. The hope in Atlanta is that Schröder will take full advantage of the increase in minutes, with players such as Millsap, Korver, Kent Bazemore and new addition Dwight Howard among the beneficiaries.
