The Cleveland Cavaliers are trading Dennis Schröder and cash to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Tre Mann.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported the deal on Friday, with the 32-year-old guard set to join the latest team of a remarkably well-travelled NBA career.
Schröder only arrived in Cleveland in February as part of the trade which sent De’Andre Hunter to the Sacramento Kings.
He went on to average 10.8 points, 4.9 assists and 2.7 rebounds across 70 appearances split between Sacramento and Cleveland last season.
The move now takes the German international to Charlotte, while 25-year-old Mann heads in the opposite direction.
What are the Hornets getting in Schröder?
The Hornets are adding an experienced ball-handler to their backcourt in Schröder.
The veteran has established himself as one of the NBA’s most recognisable journeymen since being selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the 17th overall pick of the 2013 NBA Draft.
His career has since taken him around the league, including spells with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets, Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors, Detroit Pistons, Sacramento Kings and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Now the Charlotte Hornets can be added to that list.
Schröder remains capable of providing scoring and playmaking from the bench, while his experience gives the Hornets another established option at point guard.
For Cleveland, Mann provides a younger alternative.
The former first-round pick averaged 5.5 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists for Charlotte last season and now gets a fresh opportunity with the Cavaliers.
The financial element also matters for Cleveland. Moving Schröder’s contract provides the Cavaliers with additional flexibility as they continue navigating their offseason.
Cleveland create greater flexibility
For the Cavaliers, the trade is about more than simply exchanging one guard for another.
Schröder is set to earn around $14.8million during the 2026-27 season, while Mann’s salary sits at $8million, giving Cleveland an opportunity to reduce its payroll while still receiving a rotation option in return.
The Cavaliers had already been exploring the possibility of moving Schröder this summer as they looked for greater financial flexibility. Charlotte had also previously emerged as one of the teams interested in the German guard, meaning Friday’s agreement has not arrived entirely out of nowhere.
Mann represents a different type of gamble.
The 25-year-old endured a quieter season in Charlotte, averaging 5.5 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists across 53 regular-season appearances. His playing time also fell to 12.6 minutes per game.
Those numbers are unlikely to immediately excite Cavaliers supporters, but Cleveland are acquiring a younger guard at a considerably cheaper price.
For Mann, it also represents an opportunity to reset after seeing his role diminish with the Hornets.
For Cleveland, meanwhile, the move creates some breathing room while adding a player who still has time to rediscover the form that made him an intriguing young scorer earlier in his career.
Another stop in Schröder’s remarkable NBA journey
There is something almost impossible to ignore whenever Schröder changes teams now.
Back in 2021, the guard reportedly rejected a four-year, $84million extension from the Lakers before eventually joining Boston Celtics on a one-year deal worth just $5.9million.
Five years later, he is still here.
There will always be a "what if?" attached to that Lakers decision, particularly when you look at the security he could have had in Los Angeles.
But there is another side to Schröder’s story which perhaps gets lost beneath the jokes about that contract.
He has kept finding a place in the NBA.
Different cities, different contenders, different roles, yet teams continue to value what he offers. Charlotte becoming his latest destination says something about the longevity he has managed to build despite never finding a permanent home.
At 32, he is no longer the young guard betting on himself in Los Angeles.
He is a veteran entering another chapter of a career that has rarely stayed still for long.
And after Cleveland, Sacramento, Detroit, Golden State and Brooklyn have all featured in his journey since the beginning of 2024 alone, perhaps nobody should be surprised that another move has arrived.
This time, it is Charlotte.
