The Los Angeles Lakers have begun engaging with starting guard Dennis Schroder in talks to extend the contract, and those talks are expected to resume immediately in mid-February, sources told ESPN.
Before the season began, Schroder turned down the Lakers’ initial offer to extend his contract for another two years and $ 33.4 million, sources said – an overture that represented the maximum allowable offer the Lakers could make. do it before February 16th. .
Schroder, who entered the final year of a $ 15.5 million contract, becomes eligible to extend that deal for more money and more years – up to $ 83 million over four years – between Feb. 16. and until the start of the 2021 off-season.
Schroder, 27, had a strong debut for the Lakers against the LA Clippers on Tuesday, nearly reaching a triple-double (14 points, 12 assists and 8 rebounds) and providing a goalie size that the franchise did not has owned for years. The Lakers acquired Schroder in the multi-team trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder, which cost Los Angeles a first-round pick in 2021, and goalie Danny Green.
The Lakers can offer an initial salary of $ 18.6 million starting with the 2021-22 season, creating a much more realistic opportunity for the Lakers, Schroder and his agent, Alex Saratsis, to find a landing spot on an extension of market value with the Lakers.
If there is no agreement before the off-season, the Lakers had Schroder Bird’s rights to exceed the salary cap at his 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.
Since Schroder was traded in the off-season, he was only eligible for another two years and a 105% increase in his current salary of $ 15.5 million.
In seven NBA seasons with the Atlanta Hawks and Oklahoma City, Schroder reached the playoffs six times – including one of his best overall campaigns with the Thunder in 2019-20: averaging 18.9 points, four assists, four recoveries and almost 38.5% 3 – spot shooting rate.