Veteran point guard Dennis Schröder officially signs with Raptors

Working with new head coach Darko Rajakovic and the mix of youth and experience in the Raptors locker room made Toronto an ideal landing spot for Dennis Schröder.

The veteran point guard was officially named to the Raptors on Wednesday after several media outlets reported that weeks ago he signed a two-year contract worth just under $26 million US.

The 29-year-old German said everything was perfectly fine to come to Toronto.

“Darko as head coach plays a big part in it. I think he called me on the day of the off duty,” said Schröder, who played for the Thunder when Rajakovic was an assistant coach at Oklahoma City. “I also think about the situation, you know, with young guys who have a few veterans, I think we can compete.

“I’m just there to lead the team and make sure the young guys do better and compete at the highest level.”

Schröder averaged 12.6 points, 4.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game for the Los Angeles Lakers last season. Those numbers came to 30.1 minutes over 66 games last season, 50 of which were starts.

He is expected to become the Raptors’ starting point guard after Fred VanVleet signed a three-year contract with the Houston Rockets on June 30 worth a reported $130 million.

Schröder said he had breakfast with Rajakovic on Monday about what he will be doing in Toronto.

“Leading the team, doing what a point guard should do, leading, being a role model for those young guys,” Schröder said in a video call from Las Vegas, where the Raptors compete in the NBA’s Summer League. “I’ve got 10 years under my belt now and I’m really proud of it because you can’t take that for granted.

Schröder played 10 seasons in the NBA after being selected 17th in the 2013 draft by the Atlanta Hawks. He has averaged 14 points, 4.7 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 26.8 minutes during his career in Atlanta, Oklahoma City, Los Angeles and Boston.

He also appeared in 68 post-season games (15 starts), averaging 11.9 points, 3.7 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 24.9 minutes in the playoffs.

“Dennis is fierce, he is creative and above all competitive,” team president Masai Ujiri said in a statement. “We are thrilled to welcome Dennis to Toronto and look forward to seeing him on the field at Scotiabank Arena.”

Before being drafted by the Hawks, Schröder played three seasons (2010-2013) with Basketball Lowen Braunschweig, a club from his hometown of Braunschweig, Germany. He also helped the German national team win a bronze medal at the 2022 FIBA ​​EuroBasket, where he averaged 22.1 points and 7.1 assists, leading to an All-Tournament Team selection.

He also represented Germany at EuroBasket in 2017 and in 2015.

“They let me run the whole thing [German] team,” said Schröder. “Now with the Toronto Raptors it’s a similar situation and I’m looking forward to that.”