{"id":575657,"date":"2026-02-01T19:23:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-01T19:23:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/575657\/"},"modified":"2026-02-01T19:23:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-01T19:23:14","slug":"cavs-address-2-critical-weaknesses-by-acquiring-dennis-schroder-and-keon-ellis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/575657\/","title":{"rendered":"Cavs address 2 critical weaknesses by acquiring Dennis Schr\u00f6der and Keon Ellis"},"content":{"rendered":"

CLEVELAND, Ohio \u2014 The Cavs\u2019 acquisition of Dennis Schr\u00f6der and Keon Ellis <\/a>represents a targeted strike at the team\u2019s most glaring weaknesses. <\/p>\n

In a revealing discussion on the latest Wine and Gold Talk Podcast, cleveland.com\u2019s Chris Fedor and host Ethan Sands unpack how this trade isn\u2019t just about moving on from De\u2019Andre Hunter \u2014 it\u2019s about fundamentally strengthening the Cavs\u2019 championship aspirations.<\/p>\n

The podcast highlights how the Cavaliers\u2019 front office executed a trade addressing their most pressing needs: playmaking and perimeter defense.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe couple areas that we have talked about so much throughout the course of this year, point of attack defense and playmaking, shot creation. And they got both of those things with this particular trade,\u201d Fedor explained during the conversation.<\/p>\n

With Darius Garland missing time and Donovan Mitchell shouldering an enormous offensive burden, the Cavaliers desperately needed another ball-handler. Schr\u00f6der provides an immediate solution to that problem.<\/p>\n

\u201cDennis Schr\u00f6der is a veteran point guard. Dennis Schr\u00f6der is a stable veteran point guard that can organize your offense, get you into sets, bring the ball up against pressure,\u201d Fedor detailed. \u201cAnd he has a relationship with Kenny Atkinson.\u201d<\/p>\n

That existing relationship with head coach Atkinson could prove critical for quick integration. According to Fedor, Atkinson was \u201cvery excited about this deal\u201d based on their previous work together in Atlanta.<\/p>\n

While Schr\u00f6der brings steady playmaking, Ellis addresses the Cavaliers\u2019 defensive issues. <\/p>\n

Sands highlighted Ellis\u2019s defensive metrics on the podcast, noting that \u201cSacramento opponents were turning the ball over 17.1% of their possessions when Keon Ellis was on the floor. That marks in the 92nd percentile in the NBA.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond their on-court skills, both players bring an element the Cavaliers have been lacking: playoff-tested toughness. This aspect of the trade could prove most valuable come postseason time.<\/p>\n

\u201cDennis Schr\u00f6der has played more than 70 playoff games in his career. That matters,\u201d Fedor emphasized. \u201cThe Cavs looked at that. And being a World Cup MVP and having all these different accolades that he has from his national team experience, that matters to the Cavs because they\u2019re looking for guys who are ready to help them when it comes to springtime.\u201d<\/p>\n

The podcast discussion reveals how the Cavaliers aren\u2019t just addressing regular-season deficiencies \u2014 they\u2019re building a roster designed to overcome playoff obstacles. Schr\u00f6der\u2019s experience in high-pressure situations could prove invaluable for a relatively young Cavaliers core that has struggled in previous postseasons.<\/p>\n

Ellis, meanwhile, gives the Cavaliers additional defensive versatility and three-point shooting, with Sands noting his approximately 40% career mark from beyond the arc.<\/p>\n

Perhaps most significantly, this trade alleviates pressure on Mitchell, allowing him to focus more on scoring rather than organizing the entire offense. <\/p>\n

As Fedor explained, Ellis can also take on difficult defensive assignments, meaning \u201cthat doesn\u2019t have to be Donovan Mitchell\u2019s responsibility, and he takes some of the pressure and some of the burden off of Donovan from that standpoint.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Cavaliers fans seeking deeper insights into how Schr\u00f6der and Ellis might transform the team\u2019s playoff chances, the full Wine and Gold Talk Podcast episode offers a fascinating breakdown of this potentially season-altering move. Tune in to hear Chris Fedor and Ethan Sands\u2019 complete analysis of Cleveland\u2019s new-look roster.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the podcast for this week:<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CLEVELAND, Ohio \u2014 The Cavs\u2019 acquisition of Dennis Schr\u00f6der and Keon Ellis represents a targeted strike at the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":575658,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3724],"tags":[7,69732,76089],"class_list":["post-575657","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basketball","tag-basketball","tag-cleveland-cavaliers-2025-2026","tag-sacramento-kings-2025-2026"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/115997009993021587","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/575657","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=575657"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/575657\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/575658"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=575657"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=575657"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=575657"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}