Dennis

Schröder

The Cavaliers also sent cash considerations to the Hornets as part of the deal. According to various reports, the Cavaliers had been trying to offload Schröder’s contract since the NBA Draft. In this trade, they’ll save around $6 million in cap space. The Hornets will upgrade their backcourt depth here in the wake of trading LaMelo Ball to the Timberwolves. Charlotte will be Schröder’s 12th team, bringing him one away from tying Ish Smith’s record for most teams played for. The 32-year-old point guard averaged 10.8 points and 4.9 assists in 70 games last season.

Watson remains a restricted free agent, and the Cavaliers are reportedly exploring ways to create enough salary-cap space to offer him a four-year deal. According to Stein, Cleveland has considered trade scenarios involving guards Dennis Schroder and Max Strus to shed salary. Watson is seeking a deal worth more than $25 million annually, but could also accept his $6.5 million qualifying offer from the Nuggets and become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Whether he remains in Denver or heads elsewhere, Watson has the skill set needed to offer reliable fantasy value. That said, an opportunity to start would raise his ceiling, and that may not be possible in Denver next season.

Windhorst theorized that the Cavs could be “investigating” moving on from Dennis Schroder, though it doesn’t appear that a deal is imminent. Schroder was dealt from Sacramento to Cleveland at the deadline and was a solid veteran for them down the stretch, though he didn’t do much in the conference finals. It appears Schroder’s time with the Cavs will be coming to a close this summer, though that isn’t guaranteed. If he ends up on a team that has a larger need for a point guard than Cleveland has, he could have some fantasy relevance next season.

Schröder popped up on the injury report as questionable with an illness just hours before game-time and was subsequently ruled out. It’s a difficult development for the Cavaliers to weather while already trailing 3-0 in the series. It’s unclear who will step into Schröder’s vacated bench minutes, though Keon Ellis is a likely candidate.

Schröder popped up on the injury report as questionable just hours before tip-off on Monday. The 32-year-old point guard had just three points in nine minutes off the bench in Game 3 on Saturday. Keon Ellis could enter the Cavaliers’ rotation if Schröder is ruled out.

Merrill logged just seven minutes in the Game 1 loss and didn’t register a single point. Still, the Cavaliers’ depth takes a bit of a hit in regard to three-point shooting and overall scoring. In his absence, Max Strus, Dennis Schroder, and Jaylon Tyson should see more minutes.

Schröder and Evan Mobley came up big for the Cavaliers in the second half of Game 5, combining to score 29 of the team’s 58 points. The veteran guard came off the bench and shot 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, with the Cavaliers going 18-of-36 as a team. Game 5 was Schröder’s best outing of the series, as he totaled 18 points in the first four games. A similar effort in Game 6 on Friday would be of great use to the Cavaliers, who need one more win to seal the series.

While Ellis and Schröder were active for Friday’s loss to the Hawks, Bryant has missed Cleveland’s last three games with a strained calf. On the perimeter, Craig Porter Jr. and Tyrese Proctor should play significant minutes, while Olivier Sarr and Tristan Enaruna should pick up rotation minutes in the frontcourt.

Schröder got the starting nod with James Harden (personal) unavailable for this game, and he took advantage of the opportunity. This was his first double-double and second 20-point game since he was traded to Cleveland, which was enough to lead them to victory despite missing multiple starters. Schröder was signed to start for the Kings last summer, but things changed quickly, which led to him being dealt at the deadline. Now, he’ll continue to be an excellent reserve guard for a team looking to make some noise in the playoffs.

Ellis is the only starter that also started on Sunday against the Pacers. Merrill, Mobley and Allen were all sidelined for that game, so they’ll be occupying their usual starting spots. James Harden (personal), Donovan Mitchell (ankle) and Max Strus (foot) are out for this game, with Schröder entering the starting unit.