DENNIS Schröder turned down $84million to try his luck in NBA free agency – only to end up unemployed.

The German guard, 29, reportedly rejected a bumper four-year contract extension from the Los Angeles Lakers in 2021.

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Dennis Schroder (left) was a first-round draft pick in 2010Credit: USA Today Sports

The former Los Angeles Laker turned down a $84million contract extension – and ended up taking a pay cut to join the Boston CelticsCredit: Getty

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Schroder came back to the Lakers last season, but not on the $100million deal he had wantedCredit: Reuters
Schröder was a first-round pick in 2013 and spent his first five years in the league with the Atlanta Hawks.

A move to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2018 saw him emerge as a threat from the bench, finishing runner-up in voting for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year.

He switched to the Lakers in 2020, where Schröder’s early-season form was impressive enough to earn an extension offer.

The guard averaged 15.4 points and 5.8 assists per game in Los Angeles, shooting 43.7 percent from the field.

To prevent their man from hitting free agency, the Lakers offered Schröder a beefy four-year, $84million package to tempt him to stay in California.

But believing he could harbor offers north of $100million, the German turned down the lucrative contract.

Writing at the time, Schröder’s wife Ellen stuck by him for his brave decision.

She explained on Instagram: “I’m so proud of my husband that he made this decision to stay true to himself, to fight for his goals and his vision!

“I know not everyone understands this…they would choose money before anything else.

“But let me tell you – show some love, be patient and watch what will happen next.”

However, Schröder’s stock in the market was hit hard as he and the Lakers flopped in the NBA playoffs, getting eliminated by the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the Western Conference.

When the offseason finally came, the Lakers traded for Russell Westbrook – a star in Schröder’s point guard position – instead of attempting to resign him.

Schröder was left unemployed and without a team over the summer of 2021.

The Boston Celtics eventually came to his aid in early August, with the guard the last remaining significant unrestricted free agent on the market.

He signed to the Celtics on a $5.9million taxpayer midlevel exception, taking a significant pay cut.

Per Spotrac, Schröder had earned $16million the season before in Los Angeles.

Schröder spent one season with the Celtics, before joining the Houston Rockets and heading back to the Lakers last season.

A strong year on the West Coast has since seen him join up with the Toronto Raptors, penning a two-year, $26million deal.

Now a veteran of the league, the guard has made the postseason in eight of his 10 seasons in the NBA.

And on returning to the Lakers, he claimed to ESPN that there was never a contract offer on the table to reject.

He told Dave McMenamin: “I mean, end of the day, there never was a contract [offered].

“There never was a contract, never rejected anything. That’s not true.”

But basketball fans continue to debate what could have been had Schröder taken the mega-money reportedly on offer just two years ago.

One Reddit user wrote: “Is this not one, if not the, biggest fumble in sports history, let alone NBA?”

Another added: “Man lost himself $80m sheesh I would probably be salty about it for the rest of my life.”

A third said: “Always take the bag.”