The Los Angeles Lakers made a huge move by acquiring Dennis Schroder from the Oklahoma City Thunder in the offseason. He was coming off the best season of his career and nearly won the Sixth Man of the Year award.
Schroder's playmaking, streaky scoring, and backcourt defense have been great for the Lakers this season. You won't find many players around the NBA with that kind of skill set, and that's why a team is likely to overpay for his services in free agency.
The Lakers would love to keep Schroder on board for the long run on a deal similar or lower to what he's making right now. However, it seems like the German guard is going to demand quite the pay raise in the summer:
"Sources said the sides remain far apart in extension negotiations, with Schröder, who is making $15.5 million in the final year of a four-year contract, seeking a multi-year extension that would pay him more than $20 million per year. That gap contributed to the Lakers’ willingness to include Schröder in trade talks," Harrison Faigen of Silver Screen & Roll reported.
Dennis Schroder Says He'll Explore His Options In The Offseason
"It's a crazy business. At the end of the day, I want to play the season out... I for sure want to be a Laker, but I want to see my options... I want to see my options, but I want to be a Laker... It needs to be fair for both sides, and I'm going to stay with that," Schroder sentenced, as quoted by ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
That being said, it's unlikely that the Lakers will be willing to meet Schroder's salary demands. They've already committed a lot of money intoLeBron James and Anthony Davis and will likely pursue another star in the offseason.
This year, Schroder is posting averages of 15.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.0 three-pointers per game on 31.6 minutes a night. Those are decent numbers, for sure, but not worthy of 20 million per year.
