The Hawks made a great move today, locking up starting point guard Dennis Schröder to a 4-year/$70 million extension.
https://twitter.com/DennisMike93/status/791369402285457416
The Hawks drafted Schröder with the 17th overall pick as a raw prospect out of Germany. However, he has exponentially improved his game in every season during his rookie contract, and was finally handed the keys to the team when the front office shipped Jeff Teague away for a lottery pick.
The Hawks had until October 31st to make an extension happen, and the cooperation from both sides is certainly pleasing to see. The bond of Coach Budenholzer and Schröder, who both are of German descent, is worth noting, and the Hawks given him the ultimate vote of confidence by trading away former All-Star Jeff Teague and making him the team’s future. Schröder rewarded them with giving the team a hometown discount. While the Hawks would have had the right to match any offer sent his way next offseason, it’s likely he would have been maxed out. Teams such as the Philadelphia 76ers have been rumored to be contemplating giving him a max offer sheet. This is a team-friendly contract that Schröder will very likely outperform. He received the same deal as starting small forward Kent Bazemore. This could prove to be one of the best value deals in the NBA, if Schröder can break out and become an All-Star as many suspect.
Just another reason for Hawks fans to be exciting ahead of Opening Night, which is tomorrow against the Washington Wizards at Phillips Arena. Here’s to the beginning of the Dennis Schröder era.