On their Monday night encounter, the New York Knicks had their eyes peeled as they observed a particular player of the Los Angeles Lakers not named LeBron James who is expected to make a significant buzz in the upcoming offseason. Head coach Tom Thibodeau and his staff are eyeing to make a run for Lakers guard Dennis Schroder in a bid to beef up their backcourt rotation heading to next season.

Via Ian Begley of SNY:

“But another lead guard on the Knicks’ schedule this week bears watching: Dennis Schroder.”

“Schroder is among the players on New York’s radar as the club looks ahead to free agency, SNY has learned.”

Schroder is currently playing on the last season of his four-year, $70 million contract signed with the Atlanta Hawks back in 2017. In his debut campaign with the Purple and Gold, the German playmaker has played a pivotal role for the team with his averages of 15.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 5.3 assists through 50 games played this season.

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Due to his production, the Lakers offered him a four-year, $84 million contract at the trade deadline. However, Schroder wanted to bet on himself by rejecting the offer as he knows that he can get a bigger paycheck in the coming offseason when he enters unrestricted free agency.

Coincidentally, the Knicks are also expecting Elfrid Payton, Derrick Rose, and Frank Ntilikina to test the waters as they become free agents in the offseason. They also have money to spend for players like Schroder as they reportedly have at least $50 million in cap space heading to the 2021-22 season.

The Knicks are hoping that their potential plan to make a run for Dennis Schroder can make a huge impact for them as they seek to build around their core which currently includes Julius Randle and RJ Barrett.