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The Los Angeles Lakers are still rounding out their roster and may be forced to mend some bridges with point guard Dennis Schroder.
The Lakers may always have been longshots for Kyrie Irving, considering the complexities needed to finalize a deal. But that possibility is firmly ended with the news that the Nets and Kevin Durant have reached an agreement and the team is planning on pushing into next season with both Durant and Irving on the roster.
The Lakers could still use upgrades all over the roster and, according to Marc Stein, they may have their eye on another backcourt shot-creator.
Re-signing free agent guard Dennis Schröder is a “legit consideration” for the Lakers, league sources say, depending on how the rest of their roster develops.
After one season as a Laker, Schröder played for Boston and Houston in 2021-22.
More NBA notes: https://t.co/EwiaWFuKoI
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) August 23, 2022
Would the Los Angeles Lakers really try again with Dennis Schroder?
Schroder played for the Lakers two seasons ago, averaging 15.4 points, 5.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game. However, his defense was disastrous and his shooting percentages were way down from the previous season when he was thriving as a third guard next to Chris Paul and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. In addition, the Lakers fell to the No. 7 seed while trying to defend their championship and ultimately bowed out in the first round of the playoffs.
During that season the Lakers had reportedly offered Schroder a four-year, $84 million contract. He turned it down thinking he could play his way into a bigger offer. By the time he hit free agency, the Lakers weren’t interested in running it back and he ultimately signed a one-year deal with the Celtics, who traded him to the Rockets in the middle of the season.
Schroder certainly hasn’t done anything to increase his value since leaving Los Angeles, shooting 43.1 percent from the field and 34.4 percent from beyond the arc last season between Houston and Boston. He can still put up some numbers but he’s not efficient enough to command a high-usage role and his skill aren’t all that suited for playing off the ball. He was also rated as one of the worst backcourt defenders in the league. The fact that he doesn’t appear to have any other real suitors at this point seeks to how well he is viewed by other contenders. But for the Lakers, at a veteran’s minimum, he might make sense.
Luckily for Schroder, the Lakers don’t have a lot of other choices. Luckily for the Lakers, they can get him at an $83 million discount.
