[brid autoplay=”true” video=”842701″ player=”23231″ title=”Can%20Cade%20Cunningham%20carry%20the%20Pistons%20back%20into%20contention” duration=”296″ description=”Carolyn Manno asks Rod Beard of The Detroit News if no.1 overall pick Cade Cunningham is a franchise-changing player. ” uploaddate=”2021-08-09″ thumbnailurl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/thumb/842701_t_1628539929.png” contentUrl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/sd/842701.mp4″]
After turning down a four-year, $84 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers last season, Dennis Schroder has latched on with another team.
The veteran point guard took to Instagram on Tuesday to announce that he has signed with the Boston Celtics. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the one-year deal is worth Boston’s taxpayer exception of a mere $5.9 million.
To say that Dennis Schroder was hit with a cold NBA free agent market would be an understatement. The 27-year-old German was said to be demanding well north of $20 million annually on a long-term contract. This came after he struggled big time in the point guard’s first and only season with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Despite this and the narrative surrounding Schroder, it appears that his fit with the Boston Celtics is perfect. Here’s three reasons why.
Dennis Schroder can up his free-agent value for next summer
Boston had a major need at point guard after moving off the bloated contract of Kemba Walker. While it still boasts Marcus Smart, Schroder offers much more on the offensive end of the court. He’s going to see a high usage rage this coming season, leading to the potential of cashing in next summer.
As noted above, Schroder has proven to be more capable on offense. That’s not even in question when we look at his stats over the past four seasons compared to Smart.
- Dennis Schroder stats: 17.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 44% shooting
- Marcus Smart stats: 11.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 39% shooting
Perimeter struggles from Dennis Schroder won’t impact the Boston Celtics
Don’t worry. We didn’t forget the fact that Schroder has not been great from three-point range throughout the vast majority of his eight seasons in the Association. During this span, the point guard is shooting a mere 34% from distance. That was also the number he hit on for Los Angeles a season ago.
This shouldn’t be a huge issue for Boston given who it is returning in 2021-22. Just look at these holdovers and new acquisitions and their three-point marks from last season.
Click here to find out where the Boston Celtics stand in our most-recent NBA power rankings
- Payton Pritchard: 40%
- Jaylen Brown: 40%
- Jayson Tatum: 39%
- Aaron Nesmith: 37%
- Al Horford: 37%
Having two wings in Brown and Tatum who can hit from distance while creating their own shots will more than make up for Schroder’s shortcomings from the three-point line.
Boston Celtics can still get assets for Marcus Smart
A recent report suggests that Boston had offered Smart a four-year extension worth roughly $68 million. His camp has yet to respond.
This comes on the heels of rumors that the former No. 6 overall pick was on the trade block. It remains to be seen what new president Brad Stevens is going to do. But he’s now made multiple big-time moves since making the transition from the bench.
Perhaps, Stevens uses this Dennis Schroder value signing to find assets at other positions of need to create a more-balanced roster. Prior to adding another point guard, that didn’t seem too likely. If so, a youngster like Carsen Edwards or Yam Madar could take over primary backup duties behind Schroder.