The Los Angeles Lakers have begun talks with incumbent owner Dennis Schroder over contract extension talks, and those talks are expected to resume in mid-February, sources told ESPN.
Before the start of the season, Schroder turned down an initial offer from the Lakers to extend his contract for an additional two years and $ 33.4 million, sources said, a proposal that represented the maximum bid allowed by the Lakers. they could do it before February 16th.
Schroder, who entered a $ 15,500,000 contract last year, is eligible to extend the deal for more money and more years, to $ 83 million in four years, between Feb. 16 and beginning of the low season of 2021.
Schroder, 27, had a strong debut with the Lakers against the LA Clippers on Tuesday, nearly getting a triple-double (14 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds) and delivering a point guard dimension that the franchise has not had in years . The Lakers acquired Schroder in a multi-team exchange with the Oklahoma City Thunder that cost them a 2021 first-round pick and guard Danny Green.
The Lakers can offer a starting salary of $ 18.6 million starting in the 2021-2022 season, creating a much more realistic opportunity for the Lakers, Schroder and his agent, Alex Saratsis, to find room for an extension of market value with the Lakers.
If there is no agreement before the low season, the Lakers owned Schroder’s rights to exceed the salary cap by re-signing him. Losing Schroder to free agency would leave the Lakers limited to replace him, because they would only have a $ 9.5 million midfield exception available for use in free agency.
Because Schroder had been traded in the off-season, reaching an agreement with Oklahoma City, he had been eligible for just two additional years and a 105 percent increase in his current salary of $ 15,500,000.
In seven NBA seasons at the Atlanta Hawks and Oklahoma City, Schroder reached the playoffs in six of them, including one of the best years overall with the Thunder in 2019-2020: an average of 18.9 points, four assists, four rebounds and almost 385 3. percentage of point shot.