For most players, NBA free agency is seen as an overwhelming positive, presenting them with an opportunity to receive their fair share on the open market. But on Tuesday, one NBA player shared an entirely different, more pessimistic view on free agency as a concept.
Golden State Warriors guard Dennis Schroder has had a very successful career over the course of his 11-year tenure in the NBA, earning over $100 million throughout his time in the league.
Currently, Schroder finds himself on an expiring contract with Golden State, in the final year of his two-year $25.4 million deal that he previously signed with the Toronto Raptors before being moved.
It seems like Schroder, who has carved out a role as a starter in Golden State, will likely have no issue finding a role in the NBA next season.
However, Schroder shared his negative feelings about NBA free agency in a conversation with Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area, outlining how free agency feels like “modern slavery” to him due to how much is out of the player’s hands throughout the process.
“It’s like modern slavery,” Schröder said. “It’s modern slavery at the end of the day. Everybody can decide where you’re going, even if you have a contract. Yeah, of course, we make a lot of money and we can feed our families, but at the end of the day if they say, ‘You’re not coming to work tomorrow, you’re going over there,’ they can decide that. They got to change that a little bit.
“But still grateful that we’re here and that we can live this every single day. I think everybody who’s in here is blessed. But if you really think about it, it is kind of crazy that the organization can tell you, ‘We want you to be team-first, but you’re going over there.’ It’s a lot.”
On one hand, players are largely at the mercy of NBA owners throughout free agency. As we saw earlier this week with the Mavericks-Lakers trade, even the best players in the sport aren’t safe from being moved at a moment’s notice.
But with that being said, it could certainly be seen as a bit irresponsible to liken the privilege of playing in the NBA, regardless of where he does play, to slavery where people obviously suffered tremendously.
Regardless of how Schroder feels about the free agency process, it will be a reality for him following the 2024-25 season unless he and the Warriors come to terms on an extension prior to the end of the season.
