The Celtics are holding negotiations with Lakers free agent guard Dennis Schroder, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report tweets.
Boston has been shopping for a point guard since trading Kemba Walker to Oklahoma City in a salary dump. It’s likely that the Celtics would dangle their mid-level exception to Schroder, whose value declined after subpar postseason performances against Phoenix. Boston could theoretically pursue a sign-and-trade with the Lakers, but there would be a number of hurdles to climb to make that type of transaction.
Schroder’s foray into free agency has been a disappointment. He turned down a four-year, $84M extension offer from the Lakers and bet on himself on the open market.
The door closed on a return to Los Angeles when the Lakers agreed to acquire Russell Westbrook from the Wizards. Other teams have not made offers near what Schroder had hoped. The Knicks thought about signing Schroder but were lukewarm about that prospect even before they agreed to sign Walker after he clears waivers on a two-year deal in the $8M-$9M annual range, according to NBA reporter Marc Stein.
If he fails to reach an agreement with Boston, it’s possible that Schroder could look to return to one of his former teams, according to Stein. The Thunder could give him a one-year contract above the $9.536M mid-level exception that most teams can offer, though it’s unknown whether OKC would be interested in signing him.
Oklahoma City could use Schroder as a trade chip, while he could try to pump up his value and re-enter the market again next summer.
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