Four Years Ago, Dennis Schroder Turned Down An $84 Million Contract. He Just Signed For Much Less Than That.

NBA free agency is in full swing, and we've already seen several big deals handed out. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning league MVP, is staying in Oklahoma City after agreeing to a massive $285 million contract extension. James Harden opted out of his contract with the Los Angeles Clippers and re-signed with the team for over $40 million per year.

Dennis Schroder also signed a new deal, joining the Sacramento Kings on a three-year, $45 million contract. That's not a bad chunk of change, although Schroder might still feel some regret from a decision he made four years ago.

Back in 2021, Schroder was playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. The team reportedly offered him a four-year extension worth between $80 and $84 million. Schroder turned it down, betting on himself to finish out the year with a strong performance and score a larger contract in free agency.

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Instead, Schroder struggled on the court. His points per game, field goal shooting, and three-point shooting all saw notable drops, and his playoff performance wasn't anything special, either. When free agency came, Schroder watched other players get signed while he sat without a team—or a big contract.

Schroder eventually agreed to a one-year deal with the Boston Celtics worth $5.9 million. He missed out on about $78 million.

Since that decision, Schroder has bounced all over the NBA. He didn't even finish a full season in Boston before the Celtics traded him to the Houston Rockets. The following year, Schroder signed a one-year, $2.64 million contract to return to the Lakers. He joined the Raptors one season later on a two-year, $26 million deal; the Raptors sent him to the Brooklyn Nets midway through the first season of that contract.

He finished out last year with the Nets and started this season in Brooklyn, yet he was traded twice during the 2024-25 campaign. He played 23 games with the Nets, 24 with the Golden State Warriors, and 28 with the Detroit Pistons.

Whether you're a math whiz or not, you probably can surmise that even after all of those contracts, Schroder has not reached the $84 million he turned down. Add in the $45 million from this new deal and he'll still have made less in seven seasons than he would have in four if he had taken the Lakers offer.

The good news is that Schroder is only 31 years old, and he's already earned over $103 million in the NBA—and that's before this new contract kicks in. He'll be approaching $150 million the next time he hits free agency, with 15 NBA seasons under his belt. Most players would love to have a career like that.