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The Los Angeles Lakers made some big moves in the offseason but one of their top acquisitions isn’t under contract past this season. When the team traded for Dennis Schroder, the expectation was that he’d sign an extension eventually. The two sides have yet to come to a deal but Schroder has been an asset for the Lakers.
As of right now, it’s hard to get a gauge on how much the veteran guard might be worth. He’s a very good player who would probably be averaging more than his current 14.4 points a game if he was on a lesser team. According to a former Western Conference executive, Schroder could be in for a big payday.
“If Jeff Teague can get $20 million, anything is possible for Dennis,” the executive told Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report (Teague signed a three-year, $57 million deal in 2017 with the Minnesota Timberwolves). “He probably gets $12-$15 million [per year].”
Ralistically, $20 million a year would be a lot for Schroder. Anything is possible but it’s hard to imagine the Lakers giving him that much money. As the executive pointed out, it’s probably more likely that the guard maxes out at $15 million a year.
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Schroder Has Said He Wants to Stay With Lakers
If the Lakers really want to keep Schroder for a long time, one piece of the puzzle appears to be solved. The guard has recently hinted that he’d like to stick with the team.
“From the first day, it felt like we have been together for like a month or two,” Schroder said in January. “The chemistry is amazing. That’s the reason why I think I want to be here long-term, but like I said before, it’s always got to be fair on both ends. If it’s fair, then I ain’t got no problem. It’s going to be great to be here long-term, for sure.”
Those comments certainly don’t sound like a man who is planning to leave. The Lakers should want to keep him. He’s the team’s third-leading scorer and his hustle on defense is a welcome addition. If Schroder hits free agency, he could be a hot commodity. The Lakers should try to lock him up before he has a chance to explore his options.
Contract Talks Should Pickup Soon
The Lakers have been focusing on basketball right now so there hasn’t been much movement on a Schroder extension. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the talks were supposed to resume in “mid-February,” at the earliest. That time has almost arrived so Los Angeles is probably starting to think of the contract they could give the guard.
Based on the early extensions the team gave to LeBron James and Kyle Kuzma, it’s easy to see them trying to get it out of the way with Schroder. He’s becoming an important part of the team and it sounds like he wants to stay. The Lakers should do what they can to figure this out quickly.
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