The Kings knew they needed a point guard entering free agency, so they brought in former Los Angeles Lakers guard (most recently former Pistons guard) Dennis Schroder in on a sign-and-trade deal. Schroder's new contract is $45 million across three years.
Several years have passed since the Lakers offered a four-year extension worth $84 million to Schroder, who turned it down, thinking that a strong playoff performance would result in more money over the offseason. Instead, it led him to sign a one-year, $6 million deal with the Celtics. He bet on himself, and it backfired.
Since then, Schroder has played for the Rockets, the Lakers (round two), Raptors, Nets, Warriors, and Pistons. He played for three teams last season (four if you count the Jazz, but he didn't actually play in a game), and the Kings are his 10th NBA team.
Sacramento has had a somewhat confusing offseason under new GM Scott Perry. Their most puzzling move was trading Jonas Valanciunas to the Nuggets for Dario Saric, with their primary motivation for that decision being to create space to sign Schroder.
Kings' decision to acquire Dennis Schroder could backfire
Banking on Schroder as your starting point guard isn't that terrible of a decision, but if the Kings want to win a title (and they do), giving him that contract doesn't make sense. It helps that only the first two seasons are guaranteed, though.
He's no De'Aaron Fox, that's for sure. Sacramento traded its star guard to San Antonio before the deadline, so its primary point guard entering the offseason was Devin Carter, who averaged 11 minutes per game in 36 contests as a rookie.
The Kings' desperation led them to Schroder, and they're interested in signing another former LA guard (x2) as well. Russell Westbrook is still a free agent, and the Kings have had their sights set on him.
The Lakers might not have had the offseason that fans wanted (losing DFS was tough), but they won when Luka Doncic signed an extension. That is all that mattered.
Even with the Lakers prioritizing future cap space, they are far better positioned to contend for a title than the Kings. Sacramento has a tendency to make moves it later regrets, and that trend could continue under Perry. Schroder is a productive player, but how he'll fare over the next two seasons may not justify his salary.