NBA Rumors: Dennis Schröder Considered Suns, Raptors Before Rejoining Lakers

Dennis Schröder rejoined the Los Angeles Lakers on a one-year, $2.64 million deal on Friday, but it appears he considered a couple of other options before choosing the Purple and Gold.

Schröder considered signing with the Toronto Raptors and Phoenix Suns before landing with the Lakers, The Athletic and Stadium's Shams Charania said during an appearance on Bally Sports' The Rally on Friday.

The Raptors previously expressed interest in signing Schröder when he became a free agent after the 2020-21 campaign, so it's no surprise they revisited negotiations with the veteran this summer.

Schröder would have been a solid depth addition for the Raptors behind Fred VanVleet and would have put Toronto one step closer to competing with the top teams in the Eastern Conference, such as the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers.

The Suns had also been linked to Schröder throughout the summer and he would've added some depth behind Chris Paul on a Phoenix bench that includes Cameron Payne and Landry Shamet.

That said, it appears the opportunity to reunite with LeBron James and Anthony Davis was just too good to turn down.

It's unclear if James played a role in getting Schroder back to L.A., but he did express his excitement about the signing in an Instagram post shortly after the news broke:

Schröder spent the 2020-21 season with the Lakers and started all 61 games he appeared in. He averaged 15.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.1 steals while shooting 43.7 percent from the floor and 33.5 percent from deep.

He helped the Purple and Gold finish seventh in the Western Conference with a 42-30 record, though the franchise was eliminated from the postseason with a first-round loss to the Suns in six games.

While Schröder will add some nice depth behind Russell Westbrook, it's also possible he could see some time in the starting lineup.

According to The Athletic's Sam Amick and Jovan Buha, the Lakers are "strongly considering" playing Westbrook off the bench. So, either Schröder or Patrick Beverley could be assigned the starting role.

The Purple and Gold were limited in what roster transactions they could make this summer because of the hefty contracts of James, Westbrook and Anthony Davis, and the addition of Schröder didn't necessarily make them any better.

That said, L.A. could be in for another disappointing season.