The Cavaliers sent Charlotte about $4 million to move Dennis Schroder without giving up draft capital, creating additional financial flexibility as Cleveland pursues Peyton Watson and Jonathan Kuminga while working on James Harden’s return.
The Cleveland Cavaliers were willing to pay a significant amount of cash to move Dennis Schroder, but they stopped short of attaching any draft capital to the veteran guard.
Position
PG
Age
32
Height
185 cm
Weight
79 kg
Birth place
Brunswick, Germany
According to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, Cleveland sent approximately $4 million to the Charlotte Hornets as an incentive for them to take on Schroder’s contract.
The Cavaliers specifically wanted to avoid including draft picks in the deal and ultimately accomplished that goal, sending Schroder and cash to Charlotte in exchange for Tre Mann.
Why Cavaliers traded Schroder
The move was primarily about creating financial flexibility for Cleveland’s remaining offseason plans.
Schroder is due approximately $14.8 million for the 2026-27 season, while Mann will earn $8 million, meaning the swap saves the Cavaliers roughly $6.8 million in salary.
That puts Cleveland about $29.6 million below the first apron before accounting for its remaining moves.
That flexibility is particularly important because the Cavaliers remain in constant communication with James Harden’s camp about a new contract while also pursuing forwards Peyton Watson and Jonathan Kuminga.
Watson, a restricted free agent, has emerged as a particularly strong Cleveland target.
Credit Getty Images via AFP – Scanpix
Schroder traded for ninth time in NBA career
For Schroder, the move continues one of the most unusual journeys of any active NBA player.
The Charlotte deal represents the ninth trade of Schroder’s career and sends him to his 12th NBA franchise. He is now only one team away from Ish Smith’s record of playing for 13 different NBA organizations.
Schroder began his NBA career with the Atlanta Hawks in 2013 and spent his first five seasons there before becoming one of the league’s most frequently moved veterans.
Charlotte will also become his 11th different team over the last nine seasons.
He has had stops with the Hawks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets, Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors, Detroit Pistons, Sacramento Kings and Cavaliers before now joining the Hornets.
The German guard has been traded nine times, putting him behind Trevor Ariza’s NBA record of 11 career trades.
Schroder played 70 games between Sacramento and Cleveland last season, averaging 10.8 points, 4.9 assists and 2.7 rebounds. He appeared in 30 games after joining the Cavs during the season.
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