To hear Dennis Schröder tell it, he never rejected the four-year, $84 million contract extension that was widely believed to be on the table during the 2020-21 campaign.
"I mean, end of the day, there never was a contract," Schröder said, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "There never was a contract, never rejected anything. ... That's not true."
According to McMenamin, Los Angeles approached him about a potential contract extension in February 2021, but his representatives said they preferred to wait until the offseason to discuss such a move.
However, the 29-year-old struggled down the stretch for a Lakers team that lost in the first round of the playoffs, and the Lakers decided not to offer the four-year, $84 million contract extension by the time the offseason rolled around.
Schröder ended up settling for a one-year, $5.9 million deal with the Boston Celtics, although he is back with the Purple and Gold after signing a one-year, $2.64 million contract with the team this offseason.
Perhaps he will never get the chance to land such a lucrative deal at this point of his career, but the 29-year-old would settle for his first championship as he rejoins the Lakers.
The presence of LeBron James and Anthony Davis means Los Angeles could, in theory, contend for a title, but the team is coming off a disappointing 33-49 effort that wasn't even good enough for the play-in tournament.
