The Raptors moved quickly to find a replacement for Fred VanVleet in free agency.
In less than an hour after news broke that VanVleet had agreed to a three-year contract with the Rockets, it was reported that the Raptors had come to terms on a deal with Dennis Schroder.
Schroder averaged 12.6 points and 4.5 assists per game with the Lakers last season. The Sporting News' Steph Noh had him ranked as the 41st-best player and eighth-best point guard in this year's free agent class. Noh gave the signing a B-, noting that Schroder was a "decent consolation prize" for the Raptors.
What exactly does Dennis Schroder bring to the Raptors? Let's take a closer look.
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What Dennis Schroder brings to Raptors
Schroder and VanVleet are very different players.
Whereas VanVleet is a volume 3-point shooter who struggles to finish at the rim, Schroder is a shaky shooter who is at his best when he's attacking the basket.
Schroder's strengths fit a need for a Raptors team that finished last season in the bottom half of the league in both drives and shot attempts in the restricted area. He has long been one of the NBA's quickest guards, and he still uses his speed well to blow by defenders and put pressure on teams in the paint.
Schroder is listed at only 6-foot-1, but his 6-foot-7 wingspan helps him get his shot off over and around defenders.
Schroder (53.5 percent) was a slightly worse finisher in the restricted area than VanVleet (54.4 percent) last season, but he was a more efficient scorer from floater range (42.4 percent compared to 38.0 percent). He attempted almost as many shots from there as VanVleet despite playing 500 fewer minutes on the season.
Schroder is also more of a midrange shooter than VanVleet. It's a shot he can fall in love with at times, but it gives him another weapon to go when teams give him space in pick-and-rolls.
Schroder's swing skill is his 3-point shooting. He's had a few seasons where he was an above-average 3-point shooter for his position, but he's at 33.7 percent from distance for his career.
That will be problematic considering the Raptors were one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA last season and lost their best 3-point shooter this offseason in VanVleet. Lineups featuring Schroder, Pascal Siakam, Scottie Barnes and Jakob Poeltl will almost certainly run into spacing issues as teams load up the paint. Toronto will be relying a lot on O.G. Anunoby, Gary Trent Jr., Gradey Dick and Otto Porter Jr. to open up the floor for each of them.
Schroder at least has experience sharing the court with stars, from Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Oklahoma City to LeBron James and Anthony Davis in Los Angeles. That should ease his transition playing next to Siakam and Barnes, who will have the ball in their hands even more with VanVleet now in Houston.
Going from VanVleet to Schroder is a dropoff defensively, but Schroder has proven that he can be a nuisance defensively when he's locked in. He has the speed to fight around screens and the length to give opposing guards trouble. Having Davis behind him certainly helped, but Schroder did a nice job against Ja Morant and Stephen Curry in the 2023 NBA Playoffs.
Dennis Schroder contract details
Schroder has reportedly agreed to a two-year, $26 million deal with the Raptors.
Spotrac estimates that Schroder will earn $12.4 million in 2023-24 and $13.0 million in 2024-25. According to Sportsnet's Michael Grange, there could be a player or team option in his contract for the second season.
| Season | Dennis Schroder's salary |
| 2023-24 | $12,405,000 |
| 2024-25 | $13,025,250 |
| 2025-26 | UFA |
Schroder joins the Raptors following stints with the Hawks, Thunder, Lakers, Celtics and Rockets.
Dennis Schroder career stats
- 14.0 points per game
- 4.7 assists per game
- 2.9 rebounds per game
- 0.8 steals per game
- 0.1 blocks per game
- 2.3 turnovers per game
- 43.4 percent field goal shooting
- 33.7 percent 3-point shooting
- 83.6 percent free throw shooting
