Dennis Schroder shed some light on his contract situation via social media on Saturday, responding to a fan that urged him to ink an extension with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Schroder responded to a comment that read, “Sign the F***ing extension,” writing back “No thx…in the summer I will sign.”
The comment is interesting but also jibes with the sentiment Schroder has been putting out there during the year. Schroder has never been a free agent in his career and would at least like to go through the process.
“I mean, it’s a crazy business,” Schroder said after his name was tossed around in trades at the deadline. “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.
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“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.”
Schroder Turned Down Hefty Offer From Lakers
The Lakers traded for Schroder this offseason and attempted to lock up him up with an extension. Schroder is reportedly seeking over $20 million per season and turned down an extension offer from the Lakers that came in at $84 million over four years, per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
However, the stipulation in that report was the specifics of the contract offered.
“The maximum he can sign for is four years and $84 million if he totally maxes out what he’s able to do on an extension,” Windhorst said on The Hoop Collective podcast. “What I’ve 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. Now, this is where we get into a gray area – was it guaranteed, was it partially guaranteed, were there incentives, I don’t know – but I believe he was offered a contract in that realm and he said ‘no’ to it.”
Lakers Can Offer Schroder More in Offseason
GettyLos Angeles Lakers GM Rob Pelinka.
Waiting to become a free agent is a smart move for Schroder, not only to test the market but also because the Lakers can offer him more money. The Lakers will have his Bird rights, which allows teams to go over the salary cap to re-sign their own players.
The Lakers won’t have a ton of options this offseason as they wrestle with the luxury tax and face big decisions with not only Schroder but also Andre Drummond, Montrezl Harrell, Talen Horton-Tucker and Alex Caruso.
Schroder has performed well this season for the Lakers, starting all 45 games he’s played in and stepping up his game with Anthony Davis and LeBron James out. He’s averaging 15.4 points, 5 assists and 3.5 rebounds this season and has impressed his head coach Frank Vogel.
“I think it’s going great,” Vogel recently said of Schroder. “We hope he’s happy here. Our guys really like him. Our coaching staff’s really really enjoying coaching him. He’s got a great energy about him, a great spirit and a great competitive fire that he brings to our team on both sides of the ball. His ability to attack the paint and what he does for us defensively. He’s off to a great start as a Laker.”
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Lakers Guard Dennis Schroder Says ‘No Thanks’ to Extension