The revolving door of Dennis Schroder's NBA career has continued, with the former Golden State Warriors guard dumped by the Cleveland Cavaliers in a cost-cutting move to the Charlotte Hornets on Friday.
The Cavaliers have traded Schroder just over six months after acquiring him from the Sacramento Kings, but that's not as quickly as the Warriors who moved on from the veteran guard after less than two months and a brief 24-game stint with the franchise.
Cavaliers learn Dennis Schroder lesson almost as quickly as Warriors
Schroder has become recognized for being a good player, but one who teams quickly learn is not part of their long-term future. The Hornets will be Schroder's 12th NBA team entering his 14th season, having been acquired, along with cash, for Tre Mann in a deal first reported by ESPN's Shams Charania.
Schroder averaged 8.2 points, 2.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 30 regular season games for Cleveland, but that dropped to 5.5 points and 2.4 assists during the playoffs where he shot only 38.1% from the floor.
The 32-year-old scored only 10 total points on 15 shots across the Cavaliers' 4-0 Eastern Conference Finals defeat to the eventual NBA champion New York Knicks, putting a final nail in the coffin of his career at the franchise after only a few months.
Just in: The Cleveland Cavaliers are trading Dennis Schroder and cash to the Charlotte Hornets for Tre Mann, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/MNhjejPxJQ
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 14, 2026
The Cavaliers were motivated to make this trade to reduce their payroll and open up cap flexibility as they pursue Denver Nuggets restricted free agent Peyton Watson. This could be a precursor to a Watson sign-and-trade, or pave the way for former Warrior Jonathan Kuminga to land at the Cavaliers if they can't strike a deal with the Nuggets.
Warriors further justified for trading Dennis Schroder
No one has learned the Schroder lesson quicker than Golden State, and his inability to find a long-term destination since is further justification for the front office moving on after he averaged 10.6 points and 4.4 assists in 24 games during the 2024-25 season.
It would be interesting on reflection to know if the Warriors would have had another Schroder deal lined up if they didn't land Jimmy Butler, with the German one of four players Golden State sent out to acquire the six-time All-Star at the 2025 mid-season deadline.
That's a hypothetical situation Warrior fans don't need to worry about, with the Hornets now becoming Schroder's fourth team in the 18 months since his brief period in the Bay came to an end.
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