Every NBA fan has probably heard it by now. Dennis Schroder turned down an $84 million offer from the Los Angeles Lakers back in March in anticipation of a bigger pay day. The narrative for the entire offseason has been how he's not going to be able to approach that figure given how poorly he played during LA's brief playoff run.
After watching nearly every other marquee point guard find a home in free agency, Dennis Schroder finally landed a free agent deal – and it's even worse than you'd imagined. Schroder signed with the Boston Celtics for a paltry $5.9 million contract. He announced the signing on Instagram.
Dennis Schroder announces via Instagram he’s going to the Boston Celtics: pic.twitter.com/SBgXSdeOP4
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) August 10, 2021
Nearly every NBA news outlet spouted reports about Dennis Schroder's failed free agency gambit. Talking heads laid into his decision, with even respected NBA veterans painting him as a greedy figure that's getting what he deserves. But has the media narrative on him skewed his value to a way too extreme level?
Dennis Schroder is not a $5.9 million player. He's a career 14.3 points per game scorer on a solid 44% shooting clip from the field as a point guard. He's averaged nearly five assists per game and has started nearly half of his over 500 career games. Schroder can admirably fill in as a starter or be an absolutely dynamic scorer off the bench, finishing second for the Sixth Man of the Year award just two seasons ago.
Was Dennis Schroder worth $84 million? Probably not. But the fact that the Lakers offered that amount to him shows that he indeed was viewed as a high-end player in this league. That's exactly why they traded for him to replace Rajon Rondo in the first place.
Yes, Dennis Schroder underperformed during the NBA playoffs. But one bad playoff series shouldn't crater his value to the extent that it has. He averaged 14.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.8 assists for the Lakers in their first-round loss to the Phoenix Suns. His shooting splits were well below his season average, connecting on just 40% from the field and 30.8% from deep.
But the free agency market has punished him too hard for playing six bad games. All you need to do is look at the other deals signed by similar caliber players to see that Dennis Schroder is getting disrespected just because his spurning of the Lakers has been highly publicized.
Evan Fournier had virtually the same playoff stats for the Boston Celtics as Schroder did. But the Frenchman landed a 4-year, potentially $78 million deal with the New York Knicks. Doug McDermott has built his reputation as a potent scorer off the bench, a role Schroder particularly excels at. He got snatched up by the San Antonio Spurs for three years and $42 million. They even gave Zach Collins, a man who played just 11 games last season, three years and $22 million on his contract.
The Dallas Mavericks who have desperately needed some playmaking alongside Luka Doncic, reportedly didn't want to pursue Dennis Schroder for any significant value from their part. But they did however sign Reggie Bullock, a solid yet limited standstill shooter, for three years and $30.5 million.
Dennis Schroder is no All-Star player. But for him to be unable to find a respectable deal right as he enters his prime years is just absurd. Yes, he made a mistake passing on the guaranteed money. That's what makes betting on yourself so risky.
What can't be debated is the fact that the narrative around him poisoned his value way more than he deserved. Now it's time for him to prove it and earn a worthy contract next offseason.
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