Getty Dennis Schroder rejected the Lakers' best contract offer.
There appears to be a bit of a standoff going on between the Los Angeles Lakers and Dennis Schroder. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported the Lakers were “absolutely offering” Schroder to the Raptors for Kyle Lowry at the trade deadline.
This is not surprising but the Lakers’ contract offer that Schroder reportedly turned down is sure to raise eyebrows. The Lakers’ willingness to deal Schroder also shows the team’s contract talks with their starting point guard are at a standstill. Schroder turned down a four-year, $84 million contract extension from the Lakers, which is the max the team could offer, per Windhorst.
“So, what I have been told and this rumor is pretty widely out there so I doubt this is very surprising, is that the Lakers did indeed offer him that $84 million over four years,” Windhorst detailed on a recent episode of The Hoop Collective podcast. “Now, this is where we get into [a] grey area. Was it fully guaranteed? Was it partially guaranteed? Were there incentives blah blah blah? I don’t know, but I believe he was offered a contract in that realm, and he said no to it. He said no to that extension, and subsequently, the Lakers offered him in a trade for Kyle Lowry.”
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Schroder on Free Agency: ‘I Want to See My Options’
Much will be made about the financial details of the offer Schroder turned down, but the Lakers point guard has been open about his desire to hit free agency. Schroder has indicated on multiple occasions that he would like to remain with the Lakers long-term but also left the door open for exploring other opportunities.
“I mean, it’s a crazy business,” Schröder said after the trade deadline, per Silver Screen and Roll. “At the end of the day, I want to play my season out. I said that I want to see my options. I for sure want to be a Laker, but I still want to see my options. … After eight years, it’s my first time seeing what other people, other clubs have interest in me. That’s what I said, too, but nobody mentioned that in the media. Everybody’s saying I just want to sign long-term with the Lakers.”
The Lakers & Schroder Are Reportedly ‘Far Apart’ in Negotiations
The Athletic’s Jovan Buha and Bill Oram previously reported the Lakers and Schroder are “far apart” in negotiations. If Windhorst’s offer details are accurate, it is hard to understand why this is the case given the Lakers presented Schroder with the most lucrative offer possible at this point. This could all be tied to Schroder’s desire to hit free agency before making a decision and less to do with the specific negotiations.
“But sources said the sides remain far apart in extension negotiations, with Schröder, who is making $15.5 million in the final year of a four-year contract, seeking a multi-year extension that would pay him more than $20 million per year,” The Athletic detailed. “That gap contributed to the Lakers’ willingness to include Schröder in trade talks.”
We now know the Lakers are willing to top the $20 million annual threshold for Schroder. Windhorst added that when talks broke down, the Lakers found Lowry’s price tag a bit more palatable. Schroder did not appear to be the sticking point for a potential deal, rather the Lakers did not want to include Talen Horton-Tucker in any trade.
According to Windhorst, Lowry is seeking a two-year, $50 million new contract which was “potentially cheaper and maybe more interesting to the Lakers than Schroder.”
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