What Cavs potential trade target Dennis Schroder could provide

Last week, the Cleveland Cavaliers were granted a Disabled Player Exception worth $8.9 million due to losing Ricky Rubio for the season. With the lack of shot creators on the team, a trade seems almost certain as we get closer to the trade deadline.

Regarding a disabled player exception, the rules surrounding it are simple. In any trade, the player you acquire must fit into the amount given in the exception plus $100K, the player must be on an expiring contract, and the team has until March 10 to use the exception.

Considering the shot creators available on one-year deals, Dennis Schroder of the Boston Celtics looks to be the only logical player to trade for.

Dennis Schroder has had an interesting season with the Boston Celtics, averaging 14.6 points and 4.4 assists per game on 43.6/34.8/84.4 shooting splits. His decline in play goes past what the stats say, however. Schroder has dealt with multiple lower body injuries on the year with the latest being an Achillies injury that has limited his play.

Team construction and coaching of the Celtics are two issues that have plagued their season as well. Schroder is the third/fourth option on an iso-heavy team and the lack of a real facilitator on the team has shined bright. Add the lack of a clear role for the eighth-year player and his struggles start to make more sense.

A more balanced attack with a set role would be better for Schroder, but what exactly would that role be? This is in the scenario where Cleveland were to perhaps acquire him for say Dean Wade, their 2024 second-round pick via the Golden State Warriors, and maybe salary-filler.

We’ll discuss how Schroder could help the Cavs as a potential trade acquisition here.

For one, Schroder immediately becomes the second shot creator for the team behind Darius Garland. Since Rubio’s injury, Garland’s play has elevated but an offense like this wouldn’t work in the playoffs and a nagging back injury isn’t making things better.

The addition of another shot creator alleviates that offensive pressure on DG, which in turn could allow him to work more off-ball. More down screens/flare screens for Garland should be successful considering the large lineups they run.

From a playmaking standpoint, Schroder is yet to play on a team with as much vertical spacing as the Cavaliers have. Seeing how much guys like Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley make life easier for Darius, that would bode well for Schroder in terms of scoring or passing out of the pick-and-roll.

A move like this would only help the Cavs’ chances during the playoffs. Once the game slows down, teams will have to lean on their best shot-makers to get them through the game. Jumping on this potential opportunity not only solidifies the point guard position now but, gives them an option to go with in the offseason seeing as Ricky Rubio’s future with the team is up in the air. His deal and pick(s) is reportedly being shopped, though, as an aside.

With Schroder, anyway, potentially looking at his fourth team in three seasons, Cleveland could be a place where Schroder sticks if he buys into the system, accepts his role, and returns to his Oklahoma City Thunder-type play.

We’ll know more about the Cavaliers’ intentions once the trade deadline officially hits and until then, all we can do is speculate.