Dennis Schröder sees his move to Charlotte as a chance to land in a spot that fits him better.
In an interview with the German outlet Braunschweiger Zeitung, Schröder said the trade agreement between the Hornets and Cavaliers gives him “a better situation for me.” The deal, reached Friday, will send him to the 12th team of his NBA career.
Schröder pointed to the challenge of trying to settle into Cleveland’s guard-heavy setup. “When you have two legends in your position who bring the ball up the court and play a lot of isolation, then it’s just difficult,” he said, referring to Donovan Mitchell and James Harden.
He also described his role after being acquired from Sacramento at the February trade deadline as “an extremely difficult role.” Even so, he said his short stint with the Cavaliers still left him satisfied overall, calling it “cool” to reach the Eastern Conference finals.
With Charlotte, Schröder is expected to have a clearer path to minutes as the primary backup to starting point guard Coby White. He said he had known for about a month that he was on the trading block and made it clear he views the Hornets as “a better situation for me.”
Schröder also said he’s eager to play for head coach Charles Lee and to help mentor Charlotte’s first-round picks, Hannes Steinbach and Christian Anderson Jr., both of whom have represented Germany in international play.
“For them, it’s obviously a blessing to have someone to chat with,” Schröder said, adding that he could have used that when he entered the league.
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