The story, as we understood it at the time, was that Dennis Schröder settled on the Boston Celtics after free agent money dried up because they had a spot, a little bit of cash, and some opportunity.
It turns out there was a bit more to the story.
“Before free agency hit, Al Horford, Jaylen Brown, (Jayson) Tatum, Brad Stevens, Ime (Udoka), they all texted me and called me and it showed me they really, really want me here,” Schröder recalled. “I think that was a great sign for me and that’s the reason why I decided to come to Boston.”
If the Celtics were blowing up Schröder’s phone before free agency hit, then they had the clairvoyance enough to understand his market probably wasn’t going to be very robust. They knew everyone else had dates lined up for the dance, and that gave them a chance to swoop in.
“I had a couple of options and I was talking to some teams,” Schröder said. “I think Boston was just the right fit and the right mentality, how the organization works, the system, it’s a winning mentality that was just for me the right move to make. I hope that this is going to be for a long time.”
Some of this smacks of spin. Schröder knows full well that Boston can’t offer more than its full mid-level exception next season, which would hard cap the Celtics and limit their flexibility to make other moves. Unless Schröder shows he’s worth that risk, the Celtics probably wouldn’t handcuff themselves like that.
They could always go the “non-Bird” route, a mechanism that allows them to give Schröder a 20% raise from his $5.9 million next season and offer him a contract just north of $7 million. But that’s about it.
If he plays well, then he can shop himself in a weak free-agent market and maybe get himself a decent, longer-term deal. If he doesn’t play well and is only worth whatever the Celtics can offer him, then they might be better off not offering him anything.
No matter how this thing goes, the whole thing just feels temporary.
Don’t tell Horford that, though. He’s thrilled to be reunited with his former Atlanta Hawks teammate.
“I honestly didn’t think we had a shot at getting him or anything like that,” Horford said. “He has such an edge to him. ... When I saw that was a possibility, I was really hoping for it. I called Brad, I was like ‘Do we have a shot?’ He was like, ‘I don’t know, maybe.’ When things worked out, I was really happy.”
Schröder seems happy about the reunion too.
“I had a great time in Atlanta with Al, and he’s such a great guy,” Schröder said. “His family, just being around him, and his mentality, his chemistry with all the locker room ... I knew when I’m coming here, Al got the locker room under control.”
The Celtics were missing an edge last season, so Schröder carrying that reputation into the locker room might not be such a bad thing for this team. He’s never been accused of blowing up team chemistry, but it’s safe to say there are a few guys around the league who are less than fond of Schröder. There are few fans around here who feel the same, and who have let him know about it in the past.
“It's always a good thing when people are booing for you, I believe,” he said. “But to have them on my side now is exciting. I can't wait to get out there and compete, and have the fans on our side.”
Maybe some of that venom that earned him the boos will be what gets him the cheers. Maybe it will help the Celtics get past some of their roadblocks from last season.
It’s hard to tell where the Schröder story will go from here, but it’s obvious this is at least a little bit more than just a pit stop at the first roadside motel that had a vacancy after the nice hotels were sold out. That’s good in some ways, but it might present an interesting quandary for both sides.
If this is a good spot for Schröder, will he want to leave for more money, or stay for whatever Boston can give? Will Boston see him as a good long-term fit, or good for right now? The season hasn’t even begun and his situation seems to be a tiny bit more complicated than we thought. Where it goes might depend a lot on what he values moving forward.
“I'm 28 years old, and I'm still, you know, playing in the NBA for a long time,” Schröder said. “Money is not everything at all times. I want to be comfortable in a situation where I know people appreciate me. At the end of the day, that’s it. And that all this stuff happened how it happened, you just gotta look forward and just try to keep improving, and try to show people what you're capable of, and then everything will come back.”
