Dennis Schroder’s story is a cautionary tale for every NBA player. Schroder had arguably the best season of his career in 2019-20 for the Oklahoma City Thunder, which led to the Los Angeles Lakers trading for him as they gave up Danny Green and a first-round pick in return. The German had a solid start to life with his new team, but when they offered him a 4-year, $84 million deal during the middle of the season, he rejected it.
We aren’t sure what is more surprising, the Lakers giving him that much money or Schroder rejecting that kind of a deal. The team probably felt they had to overpay him a bit, as they couldn’t risk losing someone who they had just given up some capital for, but Schroder felt he was worth even more than that. He overplayed his hand, and it backfired spectacularly for him as he only managed to land a 1-year deal with the Celtics for $5.9 million.
Shaquille O’Neal Mocked Dennis Schroder
The move to Boston didn’t work out either, as they traded him mid-season to the Rockets, who weren’t interested in keeping him around for much longer. That meant Schroder was back on the market, and his former team decided to sign him back but on a veteran’s minimum deal. The German had been mocked by many for his blunder, which has seen him miss out on tens of millions, and Shaquille O’Neal was the latest to have a go at him.
(starts at 2:23 mark):
“First of all, $2.6 (million) is $1.3 (million). I’d seen him in Atlanta, he had Ferraris and Lamborghinis. So, he playing for free this year. That man had a camouflage Lamborghini one time that I’d seen that man.”
Those taxes in LA sure hit hard, but it isn’t too surprising to hear that he has these high-end cars, as that is the case with a lot of players. Perhaps a camouflage Lamborghini might be a bit much, but it is what it is.
Schroder has a chance this season to right the wrongs, but it will take some doing, as he looks to be coming off the bench, for now at least. The team has high expectations of him, though, and if he performs at the level that they think he is capable of, then perhaps there is a slight chance that he gets a big deal from some team next summer.
