Dennis Schroder continues to deny fumbling $84M contract from Lakers: ‘There never was a contract’

After a really impressive showing in the 2022 EuroBasket tournament, point guard Dennis Schroder signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers.

As Lakers fans already know, this marks the German national’s second stint with the Lakers. It seems that Schroder is looking to take care of unfinished business that he feels he failed to take care of during his first time with the team back during the 2020-21 season.

That unfinished business mantra primarily has to do with the fact that the Lakers failed to repeat as champs in the 2020-21 NBA season. However, there are some who believe that the unfinished business could also refer to the big bundle of cash that Schroder reportedly left on the table last time he was with the Lakers.

As the rumors go, the Lakers offered him a multiyear deal worth $84 million. Schroder was believed to not have interest in signing the deal because he seemingly thought he could earn more on the open market.

However, after the 2020-21 season, there was practically no market for him. He ended up signing a one-year deal with the Boston Celtics.

Despite those rumors, Schroder has maintained that he never actually was offered that big deal. He backed up that assertion recently on the cusp of his second regular season with the Lakers.

“I mean, end of the day, there never was a contract,” Schroder said. “There never was a contract, never rejected anything. … That’s not true.”

At this point, fans probably won’t ever learn how close Schroder was to signing or being offered such a deal. What is clear now is that he is certainly looking to prove that he deserves a deal that is anywhere close to that value.

At 29 years old, Schroder certainly has time left in his career to sign a multiyear deal. It is now up to him to prove that he can play at a level that deserves one.

Last season, he averaged 13.5 points, 4.6 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game. He played with both the Celtics and Houston Rockets.

With the Lakers, he’ll join a backcourt that is currently flooded with veteran talent. Schroder will join the likes of Patrick Beverley and Russell Westbrook and try to help turn things around for the Lakers.