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The Los Angeles Lakers have some big choices to make this offseason. With money tight, the team will have to get creative if they hope to add new pieces to the roster. Dennis Schroder will be the most interesting player to watch for the team.
He was last season’s most notable addition and while he played well at times, he struggled in the playoffs. Also, according to ESPN’s Romona Shelburne, Schroder “frustrated” the Lakers at times. If the team decides they don’t want him back, they’ll have to find a replacement. One key option they could have is involving Schroder in a sign and trade. The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that teams would be interested in that possibility.
“[The Lakers] have Dennis Schroder, that’s going to be their biggest free agent piece,” Charania said, via Stadium. “Either you bring him back or you use him in a sign and trade. I expect the Lakers to be open to either possibility. Those are open for discussion. You’ll have multiple teams, I’m told, involved with the Dennis Schroder sweepstakes. I’ll look at the Bulls, I’ll look at the Knicks, I’ll look at the Raptors, so that’s still a very fluid situation.”
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Should Lakers Run It Back With Schroder?
Prior to having two bouts in the NBA’s health and safety protocols, Schroder was turning into a very important piece for the Lakers. He was their third-leading scorer and starting point guard. According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the team liked him enough to offer him a four-year contract extension worth $84 million. Obviously, the guard turned it down in hopes of getting a better offer in free agency.
Towards the second half of the season and playoffs, Schroder fell off. In the six-game playoff series against the Phoenix Suns, he had four games with a negative plus/minus, including a disastrous zero-point game in a Game 5 loss. Schroder is normally a very good player but it seems like he does his best work off the bench. Last year in Oklahoma City, he was runner up for Sixth Man of the Year. If he would be willing to run the Lakers’ second unit, he’d be worth bringing back. However, it’s highly unlikely he’d willingly give up a starting gig. Considering his unwillingness to be flexible, Los Angeles should move on and find a better fit.
How Could Lakers Replace Schroder?
Last year, the Lakers had LeBron James running the point most of the time. That was an obvious recipe for success as the team finished with the best record in the Western Conference and won a title. This year, they gave the keys to Schroder and that didn’t work out. If the Lakers want to return to success, they should have LeBron as the starting point guard. His ability as a distributor is as good as anybody in the NBA.
That said, if Los Angeles could ad a guy like Kyle Lowry or Chris Paul this offseason, then LeBron can continue to play forward. If those two prove too pricey, the Lakers should reach back out to Darren Collison, who was seen at one of the team’s recent playoff games. He’s been retired for the past two seasons but is only 33-years-old and should have plenty of juice left in the tank.
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