It doesn’t appear as if starting point guard Dennis Schroder will sign a contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers during the season. But the Lakers have at least given him reason to think about it.
Per Brian Windhorst of ESPN, the Lakers offered Schroder an extension of four years and $84 million. Yet the sides reportedly remain far apart in extension talks.
“What I’ve been told and this rumor is pretty widely out there so I doubt it’s very surprising, is that the Lakers did indeed offer him that $84 million over four years,” Windhorst said on The Hoops Collective podcast (via RealGM). “Now, this is where we get in a gray area. Was it fully guaranteed? Was it partially guaranteed? Were there incentives? Blah, blah, blah. But I believe he was offered a contract in that realm and he said ‘no’ to that extension. And the Lakers subsequently offered him in trade for Kyle Lowry.”
Schroder, 27, recently indicated he’s leaning to remaining in LA, but wants to keep his options open. He is currently on an expiring $15.5 million deal and there is talk he could receive $20 million a season as a free agency.
“From what I understand, they’ve had contract talks and they couldn’t agree to an extension,” Windhorst said. “Now, the most that Schroder could extend for under his current contract, because when you extend a contract, you’re under some limit on how much you can get a raise.
“The maximum he can sign for is four years and $84 million if he totally maxes out what he’s able to do on an extension. That is very close to the contract Fred VanVleet signed with the Toronto Raptors last offseason.