The reports around Dennis Schroder this offseason were enough to make you simultaneously laugh and feel bad for him.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported that the Lakers had offered Schroder a four-year, $84 million extension during last season, but that Schroder had turned it down.
Schroder then struggled in the postseason, hit free agency, and found little interest on the open market. He wound up settling for a one-year, $5.9 million deal with the Celtics.
Schroder has taken it all in stride, even poking fun at himself on Instagram earlier this month. During Celtics media day on Monday, the veteran guard opened up about how things transpired and clarified that the $84 million contract was never actually put in writing and on the table.
“Me and my agent, we told them, and the Lakers told us, ‘We’re not talking during the season.’ At the end of the day, I never had that contract in front of me,” Schroder said. “That’s one thing. They wanted to talk. At the end of the day, me and my agent decided not to sign that contract.”
Schroder added that he didn’t feel like he and the Lakers were a great fit and that money isn’t everything to him.
“At the end of the day, I feel like for me, I have to be comfortable in the environment I’m in,” Schroder said. “I love the Lakers organization, and they did great things, but I think for me, I don’t think I fit 100 percent. LeBron [James] and AD [Anthony Davis], they’re two of the best players in the NBA, and I don’t think I gave them everything I bring to the table.
“For me and my family, I signed a pretty good contract after my fourth year. My family and myself, we’re going to be good. Twenty-eight years old, I’m still playing in the NBA. Money is not everything at all times. I want to be comfortable in the situation where I know people appreciate me. At the end of the day, that’s it. All this stuff, how it happened, you just have to look forward and try to keep improving and try to show people what you’re capable of.”
While nothing is set in terms of the Celtics' lineup yet, Schroder is expected to back up Marcus Smart and be a key part of Boston's rotation.
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