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The Atlanta Hawks and Dennis Schröder have, apparently, come to an agreement on a four-year contract extension that will kick in to begin the 2017-2018 season. The source of the news?
Dennis Schröder himself.
GLAD TO BE HERE 4 MORE YEARS WITH THE @atlhawks !!!! LOVE THE FANS , PPL , COACHES , ORGANIZATION & MY TEAMMATES !!! ATLANTA IS HOME !!!! pic.twitter.com/JfcoTipO8e
— Dennis Schröder (@DennisMike93) October 26, 2016
On Wednesday afternoon, Schröder broke the internet by announcing his own news, and Marc Stein of ESPN later reported that the deal is worth $70 million over those four seasons. The Hawks are banking heavily on Schröder when it comes to the team’s future (especially in the aftermath of the trade that sent Jeff Teague to Indiana) and, if not for this apparent agreement, Atlanta would have faced a decision in restricted free agency after the coming season.
As such, the four-year, $70 million price tag makes a ton of sense for both sides. For Schröder, this is life-changing money and security that, despite being highly-paid professional athlete, he has not enjoyed to this point. On the Hawks side, the team forfeits the flexibility associated with a low salary cap hold in the offseason, but Schröder is effectively taking a discount (according to the market) and that certainly justifies the move.
Stay tuned for additional information as it becomes available but, for now, it appears that fans of the Atlanta Hawks can get quite comfortable with Dennis Schröder as the team’s starting point guard for the next several seasons.
UPDATE
Dennis Schroder's deal with Atlanta is guaranteed for $62 million over the next four seasons, league sources say. Annual average of $15.5M
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) October 26, 2016
Update No. 2
Newly extended Atlanta Hawks PG Dennis Schroder has also extended his shoe deal with Nike, sources tell @TheVertical / @NiceKicks.
— Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula) October 26, 2016