Dennis Schroder Says Staying With Lakers Next Season 'Not Even a Question'

Los Angeles Lakers point guard Dennis Schroder, an impending unrestricted free agent this offseason, said he expects to return despite the team's first-round playoff elimination at the hands of the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night.

"They've got the top two players in the league. I want to be here and win a championship," Schroder told reporters. "That's not even a question. It's not about money. If everything is good, we're going to come back and win a championship next year."

Schroder later added to reporters that he feels he has "unfinished business" in Los Angeles.

The Lakers grabbed a 2-1 series lead on the Suns before Anthony Davis suffered a groin injury that limited him to 19 minutes in Game 4 and forced him to miss Game 5. He tried to return for Game 6 but lasted just five minutes before getting taken out of the contest for good.

His absence left L.A. without enough offensive firepower to keep pace with Phoenix.

Schroder's struggles were part of the problem, lowlighted by his 0-for-9 shooting performance in Game 5. He averaged 14.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists while shooting just 40.3 percent from the field in the series.

His declaration of interest in sticking with the Lakers comes after his social media activity in recent days caused a stir:

Schroder is one of seven unrestricted free agents on Los Angeles' roster. Andre Drummond, Markieff Morris, Wesley Matthews, Alex Caruso, Jared Dudley and Ben McLemore are the other six. In addition, Montrezl Harrell holds a player option and Talen Horton-Tucker is a restricted free agent.

So the Lakers' front office faces a lot of questions about how it wants to surround the superstar tandem of Davis and LeBron James heading into next season, and Schroder tops the list in terms of players they must decide whether to retain or move in a new direction.

The 27-year-old German averaged 15.4 points, 5.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds across 61 regular-season appearances during his first year with L.A., but his lack of offensive efficiency (43.7 percent shooting, 33.5 percent on threes) is a concern on a team that needs a more reliable third scoring option.

Schroder is a solid two-way player—he ranked 26th among point guards in ESPN's Real-Plus Minus—but whether he's the right fit for the Lakers is a tough question to answer, especially since he didn't rise to the occasion with Davis ailing in the playoffs.

He should have no trouble generating interest as a free agent if L.A. decides to move on.