When Dennis Schröder left the Lakers after his first stint in Los Angeles, it came under some of the oddest circumstances. Despite a strong season, the two sides could not come to an agreement on a future together.
And so, after once (possibly) being offered an $84 million extension, Schröder and the Lakers parted ways in free agency and the guard never truly found a landing spot, splitting time between Boston and Houston but never really flourishing in either location. The Lakers didn’t exactly knock it out of the park with Schröder’s replacement either.
In the best bit of irony, the two sides saw the opportunity to reunite this summer and did just that, although on a far less lucrative contract. For Schröder, who spoke recently to Kyle Goon of The OC Registerhis return was also about correcting some wrongs from his last exit.
“Of course we had a couple of other options (in free agency),” Schröder told SCNG. “But for me, to make it right, that’s the spot. It’s like, ‘OK, it’s got to be the Lakers.’
Certainly, Lakers fans appreciate the notion, particularly given his production this season. Broadly speaking, Schröder has been the same player he was in the 2020-21 season. While his volume and general usage rate have decreased this season, his efficiency has increased to make up for the difference.
Outside of wanting to make things right, though, there are so many other reasons it would make sense for Schröder to return. Most notably, he did have success on the court with the Lakers alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis, regardless of how things played out off the court.
After a season in which he struggled to find a role on multiple teams, returning to a situation and role he knows for a coach he has a relationship with makes plenty of sense. Getting the chance to make things right, as he said, is an added bonus.
And it certainly feels like he has made big strides in making things right. He’s been a huge catalyst for the Lakers and the team has been much better with him active this year.
Ultimately, it’s hard to feel any sort of ill feelings towards him for how things played out in the past and the fact that he came back to try to make things right is even better.
For more Lakers talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts. You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.