Toronto Raptors: Could Dennis Schroder be a free agency target after latest contract news?

The Toronto Raptors made some moves at the trade deadline, but they held onto Kyle Lowry despite a hefty dose of interest from teams like the Los Angeles Lakers. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst was skeptical of the depth of LA’s interest, but there were rumors swirling that Toronto turned down a package headlined by point guard Dennis Schroder.

The German first-round pick was sent to the Lakers as part of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s house-cleaning project, and he has proven to be a quality third option alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis, averaging 15.4 points and 4.9 assists per game.

Despite his success, Schroder could bolt in the offseason for a more lucrative offer than what the Lakers, tied up by James and Davis’ deals, can offer. With the Raptors potentially losing Lowry this offseason, the latest contract snag between Schroder and the Lakers should put him firmly on their radar.

On Windhorst’s The Hoop Collective podcast, he mentioned that the Lakers offered Schroder a four-year, $84 million contract extension that would’ve made him one of the highest-paid point guards in the league, but he turned them down. With the Raptors reportedly interested in Schroder, per Windhorst, should they look to pick him up in free agency?

Dennis Schroder could be perfect for the Toronto Raptors

Over the last five seasons, Schroder, currently in the final year of a four-year, $70 million contract he signed with the Atlanta Hawks, has averaged 17.5 points per game while tallying 5.1 assists per contest.

As both a starter and reserve, the former Sixth Man of the Year candidate has proven that he is capable of elevating his offense to an elite level to match his speed, vision, and perimeter defense.

Toronto Raptors target Dennis Schroder career stats

• 14.2 points per game
• 2.9 rebounds per game
• 4.6 assists per game
• 43.6% FG percentage
• 33.6% 3-point percentage

The Fred VanVleet comparisons are certainly not without merit, as VanVleet is another undersized two-way guard with the versatility to play both point guard and shooting guard. The two together could make for a lethal combination that gets Toronto back into the postseason hunt in the Eastern Conference.

VanVleet, as Windhorst mentioned, also turned down an extension before signing his four-year, $85 million deal with Toronto in 2020. Freed from the possibility of likely having to pay Norman Powell that same amount of money, Masai Ujiri could choose to allocate those resources to Schroder given the amount of cap space he can work with if Lowry comes off the books.

Schroder might not be the most natural fit on this roster, as he is solid, if average at times, shooter that has almost the exact same play style as VanVleet. Those resources might be better allocated to a better 3-point shooter or a center to replace Aron Baynes.

Schroder would certainly cost an arm and a leg, and he might be a bit redundant alongside Fred VanVleet considering how similar they play the game, but there are very few points guards of his caliber that leave championship contenders and hit the open market.

If there is any chance that the German is interested in playing in Canada, Ujiri should get on the phone with his agent as soon as possible.