- Lakers guard Dennis Schroder reportedly turned down an $80 million extension from the team.
- Schroder struggled in the playoffs, failing to raise his game when the injured Lakers needed him.
- Schroder will be a free agent and looks unlikely to get his wish of $20 million-plus annually.
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Schroder, who the Lakers acquired in a trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder in November, is a free agent this offseason.
According to multiple reports, Schroder and the Lakers were unable to agree on an extension this season. In March, The New York Times' Marc Stein reported that Schroder had "rebuffed" extensions worth around $80 million over four years.
The Athletic's Bill Oram and Jovan Buha also reported that Schroder was seeking a deal that would pay him over $20 million per year.
ESPN's Dave McMenamin said on "The Lowe Post" podcast that Schroder's contract demands played a part in the Lakers including him in trade talks before the deadline (though obviously nothing materialized).
The idea of Schroder never fully materialized
The Lakers acquired Schroder to take some pressure off LeBron James and Anthony Davis. His dribble penetration could set up easy shots for teammates, and he could act as a sort of release valve when opponents loaded up on James and Davis - a third playmaker able to attack scrambling defenses.
The Lakers had hoped to get the steady spark-plug from Oklahoma City, who averaged a career-high 38% three-point shooting while attacking off the dribble and playing pesky defense in 2019-20.
Schroder did give the Lakers bits of that through the season but was inconsistent (not unusual for point guards adjusting to playing next to James). Schroder averaged 15 points and nearly 6 assists per game, but his shooting percentages fell from the year before.
Unfortunately, when the Lakers needed him most, Schroder mostly came up empty.
With James and Davis ailing from injuries in the playoffs, Schroder averaged 14 points on 40% shooting, 30% from three - all decreases from the regular season.
At times, Schroder looked indecisive over when to attack, sometimes passing up good looks for worse shots.
While Schroder's hyper-aggressive defense can be beneficial at times, in a Game 4 loss, Schroder struggled to contain the injured Chris Paul in pick-and-rolls. Paul was battling a shoulder injury and hesitant to shoot three-pointers, meaning Schroder could have ducked under screens and dared Paul to shoot.
In Games 5 and 6, Schroder was flat, averaging 10 points on 26% shooting. With Davis missing Game 5, then managing only five minutes in Game 6 because of a groin injury, the Lakers got little on offense from the player who was supposed to be their No. 3 scorer.
Schroder is unlikely to have his contract demands met
The playoff setting only shines a brighter spotlight on these struggles. Had Schroder raised his game and been a catalyst in the Lakers overcoming injuries and beating the Suns, it would be hard to argue against re-signing him next season.
Instead, Schroder doesn't look worth the $20 million price tag. The Athletic's John Hollinger, formerly an executive with the Memphis Grizzlies, wrote that his advanced player value metric BORD$ projects Schroder to be worth around $10 million annually.
What's working in Schroder's favor, however, is the Lakers' lack of flexibility. The Lakers already have $102 million in salary committed next season just to James, Davis, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Kyle Kuzma. If reserve center Montrezl Harrell opts into his $9 million option, the Lakers will be at $111 million for five players.
The Lakers won't have much wiggle room to find upgrades over Schroder, and they lack trade assets because they dealt many of their future picks for Davis in 2019.
The Lakers may decide their best and easiest route, for now, is to bring back Schroder and hope Year 2 looks more like his 2019-20 season. However, they may decide to do so for much less money, and Schroder might not have a richer option elsewhere.