The Los Angeles Lakers bowed out of the 2021 NBA Playoffs on Thursday night as they lost Game 6 of their first-round series at home to the Phoenix Suns.
Lakers guard Dennis Schroder, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, mentioned after the game that he hopes to return to the team next season in order to compete for a championship.
Dennis Schröder sounds like he's coming back to the Lakers: "They’ve got the top 2 players in the league. I want to be here and win a championship. That’s not even a question. It’s not about money. If everything is good, we’re going to come back and win a championship next year."
— Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) June 4, 2021
The 27-year-old was the Lakers’ secondary playmaker this season behind LeBron James, and averaged 15.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game during the regular season.
The German national’s numbers in the playoffs took a bit of a hit as he averaged 14.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game in the series loss against the Suns.
Los Angeles acquired him from the Oklahoma City Thunder in a November trade that involved Danny Green and a draft pick.
Throughout the year, Schroder showed that he is capable of taking some of the playmaking load off the shoulders of James, who is set to turn 37 in December. For that reason alone, the Lakers will likely be interested in retaining Schroder.
The Miami Heat and New York Knicks are two teams that have been mentioned as reported offseason suitors for Schroder, so the Lakers will undoubtedly have to compete with others in order to bring him back.
