Kings Sign 12-Year Veteran in Free Agency

Schroder has had a whirlwind last two seasons, playing for four teams during that span (three of them last season alone). After a roller coaster start to his season that saw him play incredibly well with Brooklyn, then... not as well with Golden State, the German FIBA legend was traded to Detroit and served as a key contributor and culture setter in the Pistons’ most successful season in years. 

The Kings were in dire need of a table setter for their offense after the deadline. They had been locked in on Schroder for a few days now, clearly viewing him as the solution to that playmaking void. Say what you will about Schroder’s all-around game, but he can certainly create for others. 

Kings fans may justifiably wonder how the team went from De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, and Davion Mitchell sharing point guard duties to signing Schroder, a journeyman, with an exception, targeting Malcolm Brogdon and Russell Westbrook for depth, and hoping Devin Carter develops on the ball. It is certainly fair to question how we got here.

Schroder’s contract is presumably for the full Non-Taxpayer Mid Level Exception (NTMLE), which teams below the luxury tax can use to sign players when they are over the salary cap. The contract likely has a first year value of $14.1M and spans two seasons, which lines him up with Zach Lavine (who holds a player option in 26-27), Malik Monk (who holds a player option for 27-28), and DeMar DeRozan. 

Using the NTMLE means Sacramento is now hard capped at the first apron and cannot spend more than $195.9M this season. This leaves the Kings about $3M below the luxury tax threshold and $12M below the first apron, and may be part of the explanation behind surprisingly picking up Keon Ellis’s team option yesterday. Bringing Jake LaRavia and Trey Lyles back would bring Sacramento close to this figure, but they should not have a problem avoiding it.

Importantly, Sacramento’s cap sheet is now largely spoken for in 2026-27 without signing Keegan Murray to his extension or securing Keon Ellis to a long-term deal. It is fair to question the priorities here, considering Murray and Ellis, presumably along with Clifford, are the young core of this team moving forward. 

Financial implications aside, Schroder fills what was clearly a glaring hole on the roster. Anyone who watched any amount of Kings basketball after the trade deadline saw that, despite the amount of scoring talent the team had, they clearly needed an initiator to maximize that firepower. 

Sacramento can now shift its focus to adding some length on the perimeter. They have plenty of the 2-3 wing archetype, but Keegan Murray is the lone wing who guards up. Bringing Trey Lyles and Jake LaRavia back is the simplest way to fix that. 

External options that Sacramento could afford include names like Taurean Prince, Trendon Watford, Josh Minott, Torrey Craig, Chuma Okeke. Some of these players would help more than others, and some are worthwhile fliers, but this is not a particularly inspiring list. 

Here’s hoping that Perry and co keep maneuvering and shift their focus to balancing the roster now that they have addressed their most glaring need.