Dennis Schröder Signs With Celtics For 1-Year $5.9 Million After Turning Down $84 Million Contract

Point guard Dennis Schröder has agreed to a one-year deal worth $5.9 million with the Boston Celtics.

Schröder confirmed the signing on Instagram.

“I’m proud to announce that for the 2021–22 season, I’ll be playing with the Boston Celtics,” Schröder wrote. “This is one of the best franchises in NBA history, and it will be an honor to put on the green and white and do what I love. I’m going out there every night and leaving it all on the floor for the city. Who’s ready?”

The offseason has not gone the way Schröder had hoped for. This past season, Schröder declined a contract extension worth $84 million from the Los Angeles Lakers. The point guard had instead wanted a deal worth $100 million and had expected that to be offered to him in the offseason. But it did not happen, as the Lakers opted to trade for star Russell Westbrook. Then no teams offered the point guard a contract or were interested in him.

The Celtics needed a point guard after trading away Kemba Walker. So they decided to go with Schröder on a short cheap deal. Schröder averaged 15.4 points and 5.8 assists during the 2020–21 regular season, and 14.3 points and 2.8 assists per game in the playoffs. While his regular-season stats were solid, he performed poorly in the postseason.

For Schröder, it was a spectacular misfire because he turned down a four-year, $84 million, only to sign a deal worth only $5.9 million. Social media showed no mercy to poke fun of the disastrous free agency for the point guard. It seemed that the point guard had overestimated his value on the market.