According to ESPN, Dennis Schröder has agreed to a one-year deal with the Boston Celtics after turning down a lucrative contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The point guard was the last of the top free agents on the market awaiting a new home after he refused a contract extension worth more than $80 million from Los Angeles. As of Aug. 10, Schröder is headed to Boston for a $5.9 million deal — a significant decrease from what he was hoping to lock in.
ESPN reports that, “In Boston, Schroder joins a Celtics team with a hole at point guard in the wake of Kemba Walker being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder, allowing him a chance to boost his value when he will hit the market again as a free agent next summer.”
And, the 27-year-old seems to be in good spirits about the new move.
“I’m proud to announce that for the 2021-22 season I’ll be playing for the Boston Celtics!” said the NBA player via Instagram. “This is one of the best franchises in NBA history and it will be a honour to put on the green and do what I love! I’m going out there every single night and leaving it all on the floor for the city!! Who’s ready?!”
Schröder was picked up by the Lakers during a trade for last year’s first-round pick, Danny Green, with the Oklahoma Thunder during last year’s NBA draft.
During his tenure with the Lakers, Schröder had an average of 15.4 points with 5.8 assists in all of the 61 games he started in. He also faced some controversy after missing 11 games in the regular season after entering the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
Per an interview with a German publication, he suspects that the move may have been attached to his vaccination status.
“I’m the only guy that didn’t get vaccinated,” he shared. “I’ll just leave it at that.”
In his appearance in the most recent NBA playoff season, Schroder averaged 14.3 points, but only managed to shoot 40 percent from the field and 30.3% from the 3-point line in the Lakers’ exit during the first round of the Western Conference playoffs to the Phoenix Suns.
With his new deal in tow, Schröder signed to the taxpayer midlevel exception, $5.9 million to the Celtics. They now sit slightly over $4 million exceeding the luxury tax line with 15 guaranteed contracts on its roster.
Per The New York Daily News, this progressive tax means that for every dollar over the line between $1 and $4,999,999, teams are taxed $1.50. Once this hits $5 million, the teams are taxed $1.75 for every dollar spent within that bracket which caps at $9.99 million.
