Did Dennis Schröder Deal Save Celtics’ Offseason? Chris Mannix Explains

The Boston Celtics didn’t just add a really good player Tuesday by agreeing to a one-year contract with Dennis Schröder worth the $5.9 million mid-level exception.

They also might have saved their offseason, according to Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix.

“I think this is a potentially offseason-saving deal,” Mannix said Tuesday on NBC Sports Boston, as transcribed by the network’s website. “I thought it was only a matter of weeks before we were having a discussion during the season about where was the offense going to come from outside of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Now you have an answer to that question.”

Schröder is coming off a so-so season with the Los Angeles Lakers, who underachieved as defending NBA champions, but the guard showed enough in his five seasons with the Atlanta Hawks and two with the Oklahoma City Thunder to suggest a bounce-back performance could be in the cards with Boston.

Celtics Signing Dennis Schröder Should Be Viewed As Short-Term Win

Aug 10, 2021

It will be interesting to see how first-year Celtics head coach Ime Udoka deploys Schröder, who could fill the starting point guard void created by Kemba Walker’s departure or come off the bench as a legitimate scoring threat on the second unit.

Either way, the Celtics seemingly landed a bargain, especially when you consider how motivated Schröder likely will be after settling for a below-market deal on the heels of reportedly rejecting a four-year, $84 million contract extension offer from the Lakers earlier this year.

“Schröder is an immensely talented offensive player,” Mannix said, per NBC Sports Boston. “He did it as a third guard in Oklahoma City two years ago, he did it with the Lakers in spurts last season.

“One thing I point you to is look at the numbers that Schröder put up and how the Lakers played when they were healthy with Schröder, LeBron (James) and Anthony Davis all on the floor. They were monsters when those three guys were healthy and playing well.”

Schröder, who turns 28 next month, averaged 15.4 points, 5.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds in 32.1 minutes per game across 61 regular-season contests with the Lakers during the 2020-21 campaign.