So much about the Lakers’ roster has turned over in the past 18 months, that it might be difficult to remember a time when Dennis Schröder was looked at as a potential franchise point guard.

The 29-year-old is making a return to Los Angeles for the upcoming season, though in much more humbling circumstances for both parties.

Schröder agreed to terms with the Lakers on Friday, sources confirmed to Southern California News Group, coming back on a one-year veteran’s minimum contract after a season in Boston and Houston. With the move, the Lakers add another guard to a roster brimming with backcourt players, which only further clouds the future for Russell Westbrook.

Schröder last played for the Lakers during the 2020-21 season, averaging 15.4 points and 5.8 assists. In the middle of the season, the team offered Schröder an $84 million, four-year contract extension which Schröder turned down; his deal for the coming season is expected to pay him $2.64 million.

After his season with the Lakers, Schröder did not secure the deal he was hoping for in free agency, eventually settling for a one-year deal with the Boston Celtics for $5.9 million. He was traded to the Houston Rockets during the season and averaged 13.5 points and 4.6 assists in 64 games between the two teams.

But his play with the German national team as the group’s leading scorer – he had 30 points in a semifinal loss to Spain on Friday – has helped raise his profile again: Marc Stein reported that other teams had shown interest in bringing back the 6-foot-3 guard with a quick first step and self-confidence to spare.

Schröder has experience playing alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis from his previous Lakers stint, and he played with Westbrook in Oklahoma City. New Lakers coach Darvin Ham was an assistant with the Atlanta Hawks during Schröder’s years there. Even though Schröder and the Lakers couldn’t come to a long-term agreement in 2021, General Manager Rob Pelinka is believed to have maintained a good relationship with him.

“I think all of us can look at Dennis’ body of work, and he is an extreme competitor, and that’s on both sides of the ball,” Pelinka said after the 2020-21 season. “He’s hounding guys, picking up players full court, diving for loose balls, bringing that energy on the defensive end, and of course he has that ability to score at the point guard position. We value those qualities in him.”

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The breakdown of the Lakers’ relationship with Schröder in 2021 – he finished the season poorly during their first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns – was one of the contributing factors in the team’s decision to trade for Westbrook last summer. But that experiment went south as well, with the team winning just 33 games last year and Westbrook clearly disgruntled.

While Ham has publicly backed Westbrook, who has attended a number of offseason press conferences and team events, the team’s acquisitions of Schröder and Pat Beverley calls Westbrook’s role next season into serious question. The Lakers now have a glut of natural point guards with Westbrook, Beverley, Schröder and Kendrick Nunn all figuring into the rotation. The backcourt gets even more crowded with Lonnie Walker IV and Austin Reaves, while assuming James will still be the team’s primary ball-handler.

In the Pelinka era, the Lakers have embraced returning players on second stints. On this year’s roster, Damian Jones and Thomas Bryant are both making returns to L.A. after spending seasons with other franchises.