Dennis Schröder Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Only One Team Has Used Its Entire Non-Taxpayer MLE In 2023/24

September 4th, 2023 at 4:01pm CST by Rory Maher

There are three forms of the mid-level exception: the room exception, the full/non-taxpayer MLE, and the taxpayer MLE. All three have different values and can be used to sign players to contracts of different lengths.

Our focus today is specifically on the non-taxpayer version of the mid-level exception, which is a bit of a misnomer. Though its name suggests otherwise, using the non-taxpayer MLE doesn’t mean a team can’t or won’t be above the tax line ($165,294,000) at seasons end; it simply means the team’s total salary can’t surpass the first tax “apron” ($172,346,000).

As our Luke Adams previously detailed, the non-taxpayer MLE is the primary tool for over-the-cap teams to sign free agents. It runs for up to four years with 5% annual raises and a starting salary worth up to $12,405,000.

Interestingly, while many teams have used a portion of the non-taxpayer MLE, only the Raptors have gone through the entire $12,405,000 this summer — they used it to sign veteran guard Dennis Schröder to a two-year deal in free agency. Schröder is currently competing at the 2023 World Cup, leading Germany to an unblemished 5-0 record and a berth in the quarterfinals.

The Knicks (Donte DiVincenzo), Lakers (Gabe Vincent), Timberwolves (Shake Milton and Nickeil Alexander-Walker) and Cavaliers (Georges Niang) have all used a major portion of the MLE. They’re all unlikely to use the remaining amount they control due to the relatively modest amounts they have available, as well as their luxury tax situations.

The same is true of the Bulls, who are right at the tax line and used $6.2MM of their MLE to sign Jevon Carter. The Pelicans only used $1.8MM of their MLE (on E.J. Liddell), but they’re projected to be over the tax at the moment, so they’re unlikely to use more of the MLE unless they make a major salary-shedding trade.

The Mavericks (Dante Exum and Seth Curry) have used $7MM of their MLE, and they technically have enough breathing room below the tax to use more of it. However, their roster is nearly full, so it’s unclear if they actually will.

The Hawks, Nets, Hornets, Grizzlies, Trail Blazers and Wizards haven’t used any of their non-taxpayer MLEs. Some are more likely to use it than others, but it’s technically still available.

World Cup Notes: Murray, Brissett, Schröder, Haliburton, Luka

August 9th, 2023 at 11:55am CST by Luke Adams

It’s still unclear whether or not Nuggets guard Jamal Murray will play for Team Canada when the World Cup tips off later this month, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca, who reports that sources in Murray’s camp say the matter remains undecided.

Due to his championship run with Denver that extended into mid-June, the expectation was that Murray would be brought along slowly after reporting to the Canadian national team. But he’ll likely have to play in at least one or two of the team’s pre-World Cup exhibition games in order for Canada to feel comfortable having him suit up in Indonesia, Grange writes.

The Canadian team is currently in Germany for a series of three tune-up contests, then will travel to Spain to play two more exhibition games before continuing on to Jakarta. Murray didn’t accompany the team to Germany.

Here are a few more World Cup notes:

Within his Sportsnet.ca story, Grange says that new Celtics forward Oshae Brissett experienced some tightness during Team Canada’s practices and was held out as a precautionary measure, but didn’t suffer a knee injury as some reports suggested. Brissett simply wants to play it safe and focus on getting ready for training camp with a new team.
Raptors guard Dennis Schröder, a member of the German national team, is still recovering from an Achilles issue that he dealt with at the end of last season and isn’t 100%, he told reporters (story via BasketNews.com). However, he believes he’ll be ready to go for the World Cup.
Joe Vardon of The Athletic takes a closer look at the role that Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton is playing for Team USA and the feedback Haliburton got from Chris Paul, who visited the club’s training camp in Las Vegas. “The way he plays just empowers everybody,” Austin Reaves said of his backcourt mate, lauding Haliburton’s ability to get everyone else involved.
Mavericks star Luka Doncic, who will play for Slovenia in the World Cup, already looks to be in midseason form. He poured in 34 points to go along with 14 assists and 13 rebounds in an exhibition win over Montenegro on Tuesday, as The Dallas Morning News relays.

And-Ones: Schröder, Kleber, Poythress, Alexander, Ayayi

July 23rd, 2023 at 8:19pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Dennis Schröder has apologized to Maxi Kleber for recent comments he made about Kleber’s participation in international competitions with Germany’s national team, according to Eurohoops.net.

Kleber was upset with Schröder regarding the guard’s criticism of the Mavericks’ big man’s lack of participation in the EuroBasket competition last year.

“Maxi wasn’t there last year,” Schröder said. “If you didn’t commit — that was actually the message for all of us — then you won’t be there next year either.”

Schröder tried to smooth things over in a statement released on the German Basketball Federation’s website.

“All of this was never something personal against Maxi Kleber from my side,” said Schroder, who signed with the Raptors as a free agent this summer. “Anyone who knows me knows that I am a direct type and always assume that the person I am talking to understands what I mean by what I say, but I have once again been shown that this is not always the case. I still appreciate and respect him and his career and hope he accepts my apologies.”

It’s unclear whether Kleber will now change his mind and play in the World Cup.

We have more from the basketball world:

Forward Alex Poythress is departing Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv but he’s apparently found another basketball home overseas, Sportando relays via Basket News and ONE. Poythress is expected to join Italy’s Olimpia Milano. Poythress played 52 games in the NBA, mostly recently with Atlanta in 2018/19, when he appeared in 21 contests.
Another Israeli team, Hapoel Tel Aviv, is close to signing Kyle Alexander, according to Sportando. He played last season with Spain’s Valencia. Alexander appeared in two games with the Heat during the 2019/20 season.
Joel Ayayi has landed with the French team Nanterre 92, according to another Sportando story. He spent last season with the Magic’s G League team in Lakeland, where he averaged 8.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game. The Gonzaga product appeared in seven games with the Wizards the previous season.

Texas Notes: Spurs, Payne, Kleber, Holmes

July 20th, 2023 at 6:45pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Following the addition of No. 1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama to their roster, the Spurs appear to be taking a long-term approach to their future, writes Mike Finger of The San Antonio Express-News.

Finger observes that president/head coach Gregg Popovich, general manager Brian Wright, and CEO R.C. Buford opted to not sign a top free agent into cap space or use their significant future draft equity to trade for a veteran star, instead hoping to develop their current youth around Wembanyama and make bigger moves in the future.

There’s more out of the Lone Star State:

Newly acquired Spurs point guard Cameron Payne may not be long for San Antonio, writes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. McDonald notes that Payne and other new veteran personnel additions Reggie Bullock and Cedi Osman may eventually be offloaded by the team as it looks to build around Wembanyama.
Mavericks big man Maxi Kleber has opted out of playing for his native Germany in this summer’s FIBA World Cup, Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning writes. In withdrawing from the competition, Kleber noted that it was “100% clear that I am not unreservedly welcome,” which Townsend considers a direct response to comments made by Team Germany point guard Dennis Schröder. Schröder seemed to take umbrage with Kleber not participating in EuroBasket competition in 2022. “Maxi wasn’t there last year,” Schröder said. “If you didn’t commit — that was actually the message for all of us — then you won’t be there next year either.”
New Mavericks big man Richaun Holmes has resolved the lawsuit he filed against the parent company of the Sacramento Bee, writes Sam Stanton of The Bee. Holmes sued McClatchy Co. and Bee columnist Robin Epley for defamation after an op-ed column from Epley detailed damaging accusations from Holmes’ ex-wife Alexis. “We’re pleased the matter has now been resolved and Mr. Holmes is enthusiastic about a new chapter in his life as a father and basketball player,” his attorney Camille Vasquez said in a statement. According to Stanton, McClatchy and The Bee did not make any payment to Holmes as part of the settlement.

Contract Details: Okogie, Phillips, Schröder, Williams, Stewart, Wagner

July 13th, 2023 at 7:51am CST by Luke Adams

Suns wing Josh Okogie received a Non-Bird deal when he re-signed with the team, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). Rather than earning the veteran’s minimum, Okogie will make 20% above the minimum on his new two-year contract, which includes a second-year player option. His salary in 2023/24 is $2,815,937, while his ’24/25 player option is worth $2,956,734.

As Marks notes, the Suns have now signed six free agents to two-year contracts with second-year player options — Okogie joins Keita Bates-Diop, Drew Eubanks, Eric Gordon, Damion Lee, and Yuta Watanabe in that group. The other five players received minimum-salary deals.

The offers, which include some security beyond 2023/24, may have helped the Suns land their preferred targets on the free agent market. However, they’ll also increase the club’s total salary and end-of-season luxury tax bill. As we’ve previously outlined, the NBA covers of portion of veteran’s minimum salaries for players who sign for a single season, but not for players who sign multiyear minimum contracts.

For instance, Gordon would have earned a $3,196,448 salary in 2023/24 regardless of whether he signed for one year or two. But because he received a second year, Phoenix will be responsible for paying that full salary (and the accompanying tax penalty based on that full salary). On a one-year deal, the Suns would’ve paid Gordon a reduced amount ($2,019,706), with the league making up the difference.

Here are a few more contract details from around the NBA:

Julian Phillips‘ first NBA contract is a four-year deal, according to Marks (Twitter link), who says the Bulls second-round pick will earn $1.6MM in year one and the minimum in the following three seasons. The deal, which was completed using the NBA’s new second-round pick exception, will include a fourth-year team option but is guaranteed for the first three years. As Marks observes, Phillips will receive the second-most guaranteed money of any 2023 second-rounders who have signed so far, behind only No. 32 pick Jalen Pickett.
Dennis Schröder‘s two-year deal with the Raptors is worth the full mid-level amount, Hoops Rumors has confirmed: $12,405,000 in year one and $13,025,250 in year two. Grant Williams‘ fully guaranteed four-year contract with the Mavericks is also worth the exact amount of the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($53,341,500 in total), though Dallas acquired him via sign-and-trade and still has its MLE available.
Isaiah Stewart‘s four-year, $60MM extension with the Pistons and Moritz Wagner‘s two-year, $16MM deal with the Magic each have flat annual cap hits – $15MM each year for Stewart and $8MM each year for Wagner – with team options on the final season. As previously reported, Stewart’s deal also includes $1MM per year in incentives, so it could be worth up to $64MM. Meanwhile, as part of his agreement with Orlando, Wagner waived his right to veto a trade during the 2023/24 season, becoming the third player to do so under the new CBA.

Eastern Notes: Kuzma, Coulibaly, Walker, Schröder

July 12th, 2023 at 10:16pm CST by Rory Maher

With his new four-year, $90MM contract in hand, Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma achieved his rookie goal of earning more than $100MM in his NBA career, he tells Marc J. Spears of Andscape. Kuzma has earned about $34.5MM through six seasons to this point.

The 27-year-old says he’s ready to take on the responsibility he’ll be given after the team traded away Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis, making Kuzma one of the faces of the franchise.

“It’s dope. That’s all I wanted. I’m hyped,” Kuzma said. “It’s just a great feeling. How many people in their lifetime can say they’re the face of the franchise? Someone that can help steer the direction of franchise for years to come. Yeah. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So, I’m just extremely grateful for it.”

Here’s more from the East:

Wizards lottery pick Bilal Coulibaly appears to be uncommonly grounded for an 18-year-old who just became a multimillionaire, which could portend well for his development, per Josh Robbins of The Athletic. “He’s a great kid,” said Summer League coach Landon Tatum. “He listens to anything you say. He’s also a guy that can take the information we give him, especially if he’s wrong, and understand right away that he’s made the mistake. Being an NBA player, it’s all about how quickly you can correct yourself sometimes, not so much the coaches (correcting you), and he’s a guy that does it really well.”
Lonnie Walker spoke on Tuesday about why he chose to sign with the Nets in free agency, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “(I saw) opportunity, understanding this is a very young core group looking to build, looking to grow, and I fit perfectly with the fellas that’s amongst the team as far as Cam (Johnson) and Mikal Bridges,” Walker said. “Off the court we have similar outlooks on life, and on the court we play very well. Our chemistry as far as growth and becoming a very special team is going to be something really nice.” Walker received a one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum, according to Lewis.
Dennis Schröder‘s preexisting relationship with new head coach Darko Rajakovic factored into the veteran guard signing a two-year, $25.4MM deal with the Raptors, according to Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. Schröder also spoke about what he’ll bring to the club. “This year, I wanted a situation where I could handle the ball a little bit more … and I think with my teammates now, the length we have and how we can defend and the style we have is a great situation for me … being a veteran out there, making sure the young guys can be great,” Schröder said. “I have proven over the years I can be a starting point guard. (And) with those young guys who are really talented, Scottie Barnes, (OG) Anunoby and the other guys, I think we can be competitive and that’s what I’m about.”

Raptors Sign Dennis Schröder To Two-Year Contract

July 12th, 2023 at 2:23pm CST by Rory Maher

JULY 12: The Raptors have officially signed Schröder, the team confirmed today in a press release.

“Dennis is fierce, he’s creative, and above all, he’s competitive,” Raptors president Masai Ujiri said in a statement. “We’re excited to welcome Dennis to Toronto, and are looking forward to seeing him on the Scotiabank Arena court.”

JUNE 30: After losing Fred VanVleet to Houston, the Raptors have moved quickly to add a point guard in free agency. Toronto has agreed to sign Dennis Schröder to a two-year, $26MM contract, agent Mark Bartelstein tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

The terms suggest that the Raptors will be signing Schröder using their full non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which would be worth about $25.4MM over two years. The deal is fully guaranteed, per Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link).

As Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype tweets, the Raptors are about $10MM below the luxury tax line after the signing, with 14 players on standard deals. Toronto could choose to waive Thaddeus Young‘s partially guaranteed contract (it’s only guaranteed for $1MM but has a total value of $8MM — the guarantee deadline is today) to create more flexibility, but they’ll still have the bi-annual exception to work with, Gozlan notes.

Schröder brings plenty of experience to table, having just completed his 10th NBA season. The veteran guard is still only 29 years old, however, and won’t turn 30 until September.

The 17th pick of the 2013 draft out of Germany, Schröder spent his first five seasons with the Hawks. He’s bounced around quite a bit since then, playing for the Thunder, Lakers (twice), Celtics and Rockets over the past five seasons.

While Schröder isn’t a great outside shooter (33.7% from three career), he’s solid from mid-range, has a nice teardrop floater, can draw fouls, and is a good pick-and-roll ball-handler. He also played excellent on-ball defense with the Lakers in 2022/23, playing an important role during the club’s run to the Western Conference Finals.

Still one of the quickest players in the league, Schröder averaged 12.6 PPG, 4.5 APG and 2.5 RPG on .415/.329/.857 shooting in 66 games (30.1 MPG). Those numbers don’t tell the whole story, as the Lakers were much better when he was on the court in both the regular season and the postseason.

Schröder was playing on a minimum-salary deal last season, so he got a nice raise for his solid second stint with Los Angeles.

Raptors Notes: VanVleet, Schroder, Anunoby, Coaching Staff

July 1st, 2023 at 10:20pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Raptors and Rockets both increased their offers to Fred VanVleet Friday night before he decided to sign with Houston, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca.

Toronto had been hesitant to exceed $90MM over three years, with one source describing it to Grange as a “glass ceiling.” Although VanVleet is one of the most accomplished players in franchise history, he has missed 30 combined games due to injury over the last two years and he shot career lows both from the field and from three-point range last season. There were also concerns that going beyond that limit would inhibit the team’s ability to make other moves, such as re-signing center Jakob Poeltl.

The situation changed when rumors of James Harden returning to Houston died down and the Raptors realized that VanVleet had become the Rockets’ number one target. During a meeting with VanVleet shortly after the start of free agency, Raptors officials presented him with an expanded offer that brought it to $120MM for four seasons.

Sources tell Grange that VanVleet next met with the Rockets, who also added a year to their offer, increasing it to three years at nearly $129MM. After nearly three hours of waiting, the Raptors learned that they were losing their starting point guard.

There’s more from Toronto:

Lakers players will miss Dennis Schröder, whom the Raptors quickly signed as VanVleet’s replacement, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Austin Reaves called Schroder “one of the best teammates I’ve met” and said his commitment to winning over everything else made him stand out.
Before OG Anunoby finalized a change in his representation, he told prospective agents that he wants a situation with more ball-handling and playmaking responsibilities when he signs his next contract, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. VanVleet’s departure and the addition of Darko Rajakovic as head coach might provide that opportunity for Anunoby in Toronto, Fischer suggests.
James Wade is the latest addition to Rajakovic’s coaching staff, tweets James Kay of TheNextHoops. Wade had been the general manager and head coach of the WNBA’s Chicago Sky.

Pacific Notes: Lakers, Draymond, Preston, Duarte, Kings

July 1st, 2023 at 10:58am CST by Rory Maher

The Lakers made some roster changes yesterday, agreeing to free agent deals with guard Gabe Vincent and forwards Taurean Prince and Cam Reddish. They’re also signing big man Jaxson Hayes to fortify their frontcourt depth.

Vincent will replace Dennis Schröder, who wound up signing with Toronto after the Raptors lost Fred VanVleet in free agency. That transaction came after the Vincent deal was reported.

Team sources tell Jovan Buha of The Athletic that the Lakers contemplated re-signing Schröder, but believe Vincent is a better player and will provide more value. According to Buha, head coach Darvin Ham was one of the people “strongly in favor” of bringing Schröder back.

Despite waiving Mohamed Bamba before his $10.3MM salary became guaranteed, the center is still interested in returning to Los Angeles, a source tells Buha. However, Buha’s article was released before the team agreed to sign Hayes, and the Lakers still have Wenyen Gabriel and Tristan Thompson as free agents.

Here’s more from the Pacific:

Draymond Green and the Warriors both had negotiating wins for his new four-year, $100MM contract, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. As Slater explains, the Warriors got significant tax savings for 2023/24 by Green taking a first-year pay cut compared to his declined player option, while Green got a fourth year tacked on to the end of the deal.
Clippers and guard Jason Preston mutually agreed to push back his salary guarantee date to July 18, a source tells Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). The 33rd pick of the 2021 draft out of Ohio University, Preston missed his entire rookie season after undergoing right foot surgery. Preston only appeared in 14 regular season games for a total of 124 minutes this past season. The 23-year-old spent most of ’22/23 in the G League with the team’s G League affiliate. His salary will remain non-guaranteed for now.
The Kings and Pacers were reportedly nearing an agreement Friday morning on a trade that would send wing Chris Duarte to Sacramento in exchange for draft compensation. However, as of Friday night, the two teams had yet to agree to terms, a league source tells Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.

Western FA Rumors: D-Lo, Lakers, H. Jones, Suns, Warriors

June 30th, 2023 at 2:27pm CST by Luke Adams

There are “strong” indications that the Lakers are trending toward a new two-year deal with free agent point guard D’Angelo Russell, reports Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. According to Fischer, that two-year contract could be worth in the neighborhood of $40MM in total, though the second season may be a team option or non-guaranteed.

While the Lakers have interest in re-signing both Dennis Schröder and Lonnie Walker, it’s unclear which one the club is prioritizing, Fischer writes. Schröder will likely require a raise that exceeds the Non-Bird exception, so if Los Angeles uses its mid-level exception on an outside free agent, the team may have to allot its bi-annual exception to him, Fischer explains. In that scenario, it’s unclear whether the team would have enough room to re-sign Walker to a market-value deal as well while remaining below a hard cap.

Another potential path would see L.A. splits its mid-level between Schröder and a frontcourt player such as Mason Plumlee, sources tell Yahoo Sports. If Schröder doesn’t end up back with the Lakers, a reunion with Bulls coach Billy Donovan in Chicago is possible, Fischer writes. Donovan previously coached the point guard in Oklahoma City.

Finally, Fischer is one of a handful of reporters who have linked free agent forward Cam Reddish to Los Angeles. The Lakers were said to have some trade interest in Reddish – a Klutch Sports client – during each of the past two seasons. He’d be a minimum-salary target, Fischer notes.

Here are a few more free agency rumors from around the Western Conference:

Two forwards who had their team options declined by the Pelicans on Thursday figure to take very different paths this summer. According to Fischer, Herbert Jones will likely end up back in New Orleans on a four-year deal worth a little more than $50MM, which would presumably be his Early Bird maximum. Willy Hernangomez, on the other hand, is considered a good bet to accept a lucrative offer from a EuroLeague team rather than seeking another minimum-salary NBA deal, Fischer reports.
The Suns intend to bring back several of their own free agents, including Torrey Craig, Damion Lee, Jock Landale, and Josh Okogie, according to Fischer, who says agent big man Drew Eubanks is another strong candidate to end up in Phoenix. Fischer is also the latest reporter to link Yuta Watanabe and Mike James to the Suns.
The Lakers and Warriors are among the teams eyeing free agent guard Shake Milton, per Fischer. Free agent forward Dario Saric has also received “strong” interest from Golden State, sources tell Yahoo Sports.