The Los Angeles Lakers have begun talks with starting guard Dennis Schroder in talks to extend the contract, and those talks will resume in mid-February, sources told ESPN.
Before the season began, Schroder turned down an initial offer from the Lakers to extend his contract for another two years and $ 33.4 million, sources said, a proposal that represented the maximum allowable offer the Lakers could make. to do so before May 16th. February.
Schroder, who entered the final year of a $ 15.5 million contract, becomes eligible to extend that deal for more money and more years, to $ 83 million over four years, between Feb. 16. and the start of the 2021 off-season.
The 27-year-old Schroder made a strong debut for the Lakers against the LA Clippers on Tuesday, nearly hitting a triple-double (14 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds) and providing a goalie size that the franchise he hasn’t had it in years. . The Lakers acquired Schroder in a multi-team deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder, which cost them a first-round pick in 2021 and a Danny Green goalie.
The Lakers can offer an initial salary of $ 18.6 million starting in the 2021-2022 season, creating a much more realistic opportunity for the Lakers, Schroder and their agent, Alex Saratsis, to find room for a market value expansion with the Lakers. .
If there is no agreement before the off-season, the Lakers had Schroder’s rights to exceed the salary cap by re-signing. Schroder’s loss to the free agency would allow the Lakers to replace him to a limited extent, as he would have only an average of $ 9.5 million on average available for use in the free agency.
Because Schroder had been traded out of season, entering into an agreement with Oklahoma City, he had only been eligible for two more years and a 105 percent increase in current salary of $ 15.5 million.
In seven NBA seasons in the Atlanta Hawks and Oklahoma City, Schroder made the playoffs in six of them, including one of the best overall years with the Thunder in 2019-2020: averaging 18.9 points, four assists, four recoveries and almost .385 three. percentage of shooting in points.