The Los Angeles Lakers are fresh off of winning their 17th NBA championship but with LeBron James turning 36 years old soon and playing in a loaded Western Conference, they likely will have to make some moves in order to stay atop the standings.
L.A. doesn’t need to make blockbusters, like the speculation involving Victor Oladipo or a potential Chris Paul trade, but they could reach for someone more attainable like Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dennis Schroder.
Schroder enjoyed his best year in 2019-20 as their sixth man, reaching career highs in rebounds, field goal percentage, and 3-point percentage. But with the Thunder hoping to enter a complete rebuild this offseason, Shroder may be on the move.
The Lakers are a team that is in need of a backup point guard, have shown interest in Schroder before and reportedly could pursue him again, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne discussed on ESPN’s “Sedano & LZ” show:
“The Lakers called about Schroder at the trade deadline, so they have interest in him. I think they’ve called now. You can’t make any trades now, or yet, that’s going to come next week. I think yeah, they definitely have interest in him. It’s just, what does Sam Presti think he can get for him and what is the maximum value? Do they have the best offer? I always think it comes down do they have the best offer? (Pick) 28 and Danny Green? Does that work? Pick No. 28 and Danny Green? Maybe. I think there are better offers, but we’ll see what Sam Presti thinks.”
Schroder will be entering the season year of a four-year, $70 million contract that he signed with the Atlanta Hawks in 2017. And while there are rumors that Schroder actively did not want to come to the Lakers at the trade deadline, the Thunder possibly entering a rebuild could change his stance.
How the Lakers approach the next week or so will be fascinating to follow, as they’ll have to decide between running it back with a team that had wonderful chemistry and won a title versus making a splash to increase their odds of repeating in a tough conference.
Frank Vogel: Lakers feel good about 2020-21 season
Despite the fact that the Lakers will have perhaps the shortest offseason in sports history, head coach Frank Vogel is remaining positive about what they can accomplish.
He said that the team’s ability to embrace challenges is what set them apart last season, and what will allow them to put up a good fight in 2021.
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