Since Dennis Schröder last suited up for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2023 (for the second time), he has played for six different teams. The 32-year-old found himself on the move again before last week’s deadline, as the Kings traded him to the Cavaliers. He’s played in four games for Cleveland, and things haven’t exactly been pretty.
The Cavaliers are 4-0 in the Schröder era, so there’s that. The burst of energy he brings off the bench is a welcome sight in Ohio, but he’s yet to have a good shooting night. He shot 5-of-14 in his debut for 11 points, 3-of-9 for seven points in his second game, 2-of-7 for five points in his third, and 1-of-5 for seven points in his latest game. The guard is 2-of-15 (13.3%) from three.
Lakers fans know a thing or two about Schröder’s shooting woes, as he shot 39.8% from the field and 33.3% across 17 games in the 2023 playoffs. In 2021, he shot 40% from the field and 30.8% from deep across six games.
Dennis Schröder is already struggling to hit shots with the Cavaliers
Schröder doesn’t just seem to always be on the move — he is always on the move. He helped the Pistons make a run to the playoffs in the second half of last season, but they let him go over the offseason in a sign-and-trade with the Kings, who gave him a three-year, $45 million deal. He might’ve thought he’d be in Sacramento for at least a season, but nope.
The Kings acquired him with the intention of making him their starting point guard, but they learned why that wouldn’t work.
At least for the Cavaliers, he’s coming off the bench, as he did primarily for the Pistons last season, but even then, there are warts with his game. It’s not just his shooting, as he is prone to turnovers with his style of play, which, again, Lakers fans know all about. Schröder recorded three in his Cleveland debut, but has only had two across the past three games.
The Cavaliers traded Darius Garland for James Harden before the deadline because of the pressure to win with Donovan Mitchell, who has a player option for the 2027-28 season that he could decline to become an unrestricted free agent. Cleveland needs Harden to perform in the playoffs, but it also hopes Schröder can get some shots to fall in the postseason.
Los Angeles hoped the same.