The Cavaliers’ deal to send Dennis Schröder to Charlotte didn’t come together overnight. According to Shams Charania, Cleveland, the Hornets and Schröder’s agent, Mark Bartelstein, have been working on the trade for the “past couple months.”
Charania also reports that Cleveland remains in “constant” dialogue with free agent guard James Harden, who is expected to re-sign with the team on a new contract covering either two or three years. Harden turned down a $42.3MM player option for 2026/27 in June, a deal that would have been partially guaranteed for $13.3MM.
On top of that, the Cavaliers are still hunting in free agency. Charania says the team is pursuing forwards Peyton Watson and Jonathan Kuminga. Watson, of the Nuggets, is a restricted free agent, while Kuminga is unrestricted.
The Schröder move gives Cleveland some financial relief, with the team set to save about $6.8MM this season by moving Schröder and cash for Tre Mann. Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com reports that the Cavaliers will also send roughly $4MM in cash to the Hornets as part of the transaction. It’s the first time Cleveland has sent out cash in a trade this offseason, and the first time Charlotte has received any.
Fedor added that the Cavaliers had been talking to “numerous” teams about a Schröder deal since around June’s draft, and several clubs wanted first-round draft capital attached just to take on his contract. Cleveland ultimately found a path that avoided giving up any draft assets.
Schröder is due $14.8MM this season, and his $15.5MM salary for 2027/28 is partially guaranteed for $4.35MM. Mann, meanwhile, will make $8MM this season and has an $8MM team option for ’27/28.
In Other News...
Cavaliers Finally Make The Backcourt Move Fans Knew Was Coming
The Cavaliers have been searching for a cleaner fit in the backcourt for a while, and they finally moved to address it by reshaping the point guard spot. Dennis Schroder, who arrived in Cleveland earlier and appeared in 30 games, is headed out after a short stay, while Tre Mann comes in after spending the last two and a half years with Charlotte.
For Cleveland, the deal does more than just swap one guard for another. It also brings salary-cap savings, giving the front office a little more flexibility as it continues sorting out the rotation around its core. Mann arrives with a fresh opportunity and the Cavs get a different kind of look at a position that has been under constant scrutiny. [Read more 🡒]
Cavs Land A National Spotlight For A Rivalry Fans Wont Ignore
The NBA is giving the Cavaliers an early national-stage test on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, with Cleveland set to host the Pistons on Jan. 18 at noon Eastern to open the leagues four-game holiday slate. The matchup will air nationally on NBC and Peacock, putting a rivalry with recent playoff history in front of a wide audience right away.
For Cavs fans, it is the kind of spot that comes with both buzz and a little edge, especially with Detroit expected to be competitive in the Eastern Conference again. The holiday setting only adds to the weight of it, since these games tend to carry extra attention, and Cleveland will get the chance to make its case in one of the NBAs most visible windows of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Peyton Watson Just Became A Much Bigger Nuggets Story
Jonathan Kumingas unresolved summer has already changed the market around him, and the ripple effects are reaching Cleveland. What once looked like a straightforward next step after LeBron James decision has turned into a standoff, with the Lakers still showing interest but talks slowing down enough to send teams back to the drawing board. For the Cavaliers, that means recalibrating their thinking as they weigh what kind of wing help actually makes sense at this stage of the offseason.
Peyton Watson has increasingly emerged as the name to watch in that shift, because he looks like the more attainable path if the Kuminga negotiations keep dragging. Kumingas camp has complicated the process with its contract demands, and that has pushed rival front offices to focus on alternatives rather than wait indefinitely. Cleveland is among the teams keeping that option open, which makes Watson a bigger story here than he was even a few days ago. [Read more 🡒]