NBA Rumors: Lakers 'Eager' to Re-Sign Dennis Schröder; Bulls Linked as Landing Spot

Thanks to his strong play to start off his second stint with the Los Angeles Lakers, the organization is hoping to bring Dennis Schröder back after he played last season on the veteran's minimum, according to league insider Marc Stein.

Schröder, 29, played on a $2.6 million deal last season after bouncing around between the Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets in 2021-22, and he proved to be a valuable piece for the Lakers in their run to the Western Conference Finals.

He averaged 12.4 points on 41.5 percent shooting and 4.4 assists per game in 66 regular-season games with the Lakers.

A reunion with former head coach Billy Donovan—whom Schröder played under while with the Oklahoma City Thunder—on the Chicago Bulls is also a possibility, per Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer.

This isn't the first-time that the Lakers and Schröder have been in this type of situation.

During the 2020-21 season, Schröder was eligible for an extension from the Lakers after a solid first season with the franchise, but he ended up rejecting the massive four-year, $84 million extension that they offered him, opting to enter free agency.

It ended up being a big mistake for the veteran guard as his market failed to materialize and he wound up signing a one-year, $5.9 million taxpayer mid-level exception contract with the Boston Celtics ahead of the following season and got dealt to the Rockets before the trade deadline later that year.

He's sure to make a smarter business decision this time around, especially since he's not in a position to demand such a lofty deal after being used predominantly as a backup last year.

Stein pointed out that one clear and possible avenue for the Lakers to bring Schröder back is using some of its midlevel exception to give him a better deal while also still giving itself some flexibility to bring in another free agent.

As for the Bulls, Schröder would fit a huge need for them as they are set to possibly lose Patrick Beverley in free agency and starting point guard Lonzo Ball is reportedly missing all of next season with the knee injury that kept him out the entirety of last year as well.

His familiarity with Donovan's system would make it a seamless transition and he'd be an initiator for a squad that doesn't look like it's ready to blow things up and begin a rebuild.