Lakers point guard Dennis Schroder made headlines for all the wrong reasons this past spring. Not only did he play poorly in the NBA playoffs (when the Lakers were eliminated in the very first round), but he also has the audacity to follow it up by asking for $100+ million in this upcoming free agency.
Believing he is a borderline star, and a cornerstone piece of any franchise, many have already concluded that Schroder will not be returning to Los Angeles next season.
In a segment on Woj & Lowe, however, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski hinted at the opposite:
“They cannot replace [Dennis Schröder] if he leaves … Almost every team I’ve talked to in the league has been offered some combination of Kuz and KCP … and that’s not going to get them back a point guard of Dennis’s stature. … I still think in the end, there’s a deal to be made for him to stay with the Lakers.”
Breaking down free agent guard Dennis Schroder and the Lakers on the Woj & Lowe Show pic.twitter.com/fFjJTXDgj4
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 25, 2021
For Lakers fans who had aspirations of adding Dame, Russell Westbrook, or Kyle Lowry types, this has got to be like a punch in the gut.
The community has clowned Schroder for the past few weeks, waiting for the day that the Purple and Gold replaced him for a better fit.
Instead, the possibility exists that the veteran guard might be wearing the same jersey again next year.
The question is, what kind of deal will Schroder get? If he does return to the Lakers, one has to imagine it would be for well under the $100 million asking price he’s reportedly pursuing. But doubts persist that the German native will get anywhere near that from any other team.
Needless to say, it’s a summer of unknowns for the Lakers, and it will be intriguing to see how they handle it all and if re-signing Schroder will be their biggest move of the offseason.
