After a rough last year or so, September of 2022 has been very kind to Dennis Schroder. The German struggled in the 2021 NBA playoffs which meant he was unable to get a lucrative deal last year and the 2021-22 campaign wasn’t much better, as he failed to have a positive impact while on the court for the Celtics and the Rockets.
As this offseason rolled on, Schroder remained unsigned even after 2 months had gone by and it seemed like no one was particularly interested in his services. All of that changed when he headed over to EuroBasket where he averaged 22.1 points to go with 7.1 assists and led Germany to the Bronze medal. It was just the third time that the Germans had won a medal in EuroBasket and Schroder’s performances had him back on the radar of NBA teams.
Dennis Schroder Reveals That He Had Been In Talks With The Lakers For 3 Months
Schroder ended up rejecting offers from the Phoenix Suns as well as the Toronto Raptors and headed back to the Lakers. While his performances with the national team had a lot to do with him getting snapped up, Schroder revealed that he had actually been in talks with the Lakers for 3 months.
via BasketNews:
“I’ve been talking to the Lakers for the last three months. I knew I was going back, but I wanted to take my time,” Schroder explained.
It seems this move has been in the works for a long time now and Schroder was just taking his time before signing on the dotted line. He looks to have had his heart set on a return to LA and sent a message to the fans where he stated that he wants to make things right this time around.
Schroder has also spoken to LeBron James, who is glad to have him back on the team, and the guard also stated how he has unfinished business with the Lakers. The team certainly is expecting big things from the German, as reports indicate that they plan to have him as the primary defender for opposing guards like Stephen Curry and Ja Morant. GM Rob Pelinka also sang his praises as he stated that Schroder brings an on-ball defensive presence to their core to go with being a proven scorer and playmaker. He certainly has a lot to live up to considering all of this and we’ll soon find out if he can pull it off.
