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While there have been plenty of winners in the 2021 NBA free agency window, guards Dennis Schroder and Victor Oladipo have been regarded among the losers of the offseason.
This is due to the fact that both have signed one-year deals for the upcoming season. The Boston Celtics used their mid-level exception of $5.9m to sign Dennis Schroder while Victor Oladipo will stay with the Miami Heat on a minimum deal as he continues to rehab after undergoing surgery in May.
Both were unrestricted free agents this summer and both, prior to the 2020-21 campaign, were expected to earn huge salaries when the offseason came around. However, what transpired is quite the opposite of what each player and the media had envisaged.
In this article, we will analyze what went wrong for Dennis Schroder and Victor Oladipo in the 2021 NBA free agency.
Dennis Schroder and Victor Oladipo miss out on huge payday in 2021 NBA Free Agency
Quite a few players are actively brought in to make reigning champions better in the NBA and some struggle to live up to expectations. However, up until the middle of the season, Dennis Schroder was playing some solid basketball for the LA Lakers and had begun to take up the role of a scoring point guard who could relieve LeBron James of some ball-handling duties.
As of March 18th, the German was averaging 14.8 points and 4.7 assists while shooting at 43% from the field. It was around this time, though, when ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported that Dennis Schroder had turned down an $84m, 4-year extension to stay with the LA Lakers. Instead, he desired a deal in the region of $100-120m over a similar time-frame or over five years.
Fast forward to the 2021 NBA free agency market opening, and Dennis Schroder's stock had plummeted. A poor playoff series against the Phoenix Suns, in which he shot the ball at just 30% from downtown and scored zero points in game five, damaged his reputation and put in question whether he is a player worthy of such an exorbitant contract.
After the first wave of free agents were signed and teams began to use up their cap space, it became unclear where Dennis Schroder could even play next season. However, earlier this week, a deal with the Boston Celtics was finalized, earning him $15m less next year than what he would have earned by staying in LA.
Fellow guard Victor Oladipo's story is quite different but has resulted in him earning an underwhelming contract for the upcoming campaign, after which he will re-enter the market as a free agent.
Oladipo played for three teams this season: the Indiana Pacers, Houston Rockets and Miami Heat. Despite looking back to his All-Star best early in the campaign, injuries soon reared their ugly heads and from the beginning of February until the playoffs, he competed in just 18 games out of a possible 52. The 29-year-old has never recovered from rupturing the quad tendon in his right knee in 2019 and has played just 51 games over the last two and a half years.
Now that he has had surgery on his knee, Victor Oladipo could be back as early as November. However, it will be on a minimum deal with the Miami Heat. While this is a potentially fantastic solution for the franchise considering the level he could return to if he can stay healthy, it is a kick in the teeth for the former NBA Most Improved Player and two-time All-Star.
Oladipo has turned down two huge offers in the past 12 months before penning a veteran deal with the Heat.
Despite playing in just 19 games over the 2019-20 season, the Indiana Pacers were willing to offer him a multi-year deal with a starting salary of around $25m. After refusing, the former second overall pick then also snubbed a two-year, $45m deal from the Houston Rockets. Both incredible offers for a player known to have ongoing injury troubles.
Instead, the Miami Heat have now got Victor Oladipo's services for the cheapest contract possible. Given that it is a far lower sum than what he could be earning, Oladipo will be working toward having a successful season so he may boost his price tag prior to becoming a free agent again in 2022.
Guess the Lakers players!
