Back in May, I wrote that the Cleveland Cavaliers should trade Dennis Schröder and Max Strus. And well, it looks like the Cavs are interested in doing exactly that.
New intel from NBA insider Marc Stein suggests that Cleveland's front office is actively shopping both Schröder and Strus in an effort to create the cap flexibility required to make a run at Denver Nuggets restricted free agent wing Peyton Watson.
Cavaliers are reportedly trying to trade Dennis Schröder and Max Strus
"League sources say Cleveland has been exploring various trade possibilities with both Dennis Schröder and Max Strus that would enable the Cavaliers — provided one or both of those salaries could be shed — to make a representative four-year offer to Watson," Stein reported.
The problem for the Cavs is that neither Schröder nor Strus is on a cheap deal, which could make finding suitors for the players difficult. Schröder is set to earn $14.8 million next season and $15.5 million (only $4.4 million guaranteed) in 2027-28. Strus is on an expiring $16.7 million deal.
"Finding a team to absorb such salaries at this point in the offseason ... is easier said than done," Stein wrote.
Since Stein mentioned timing, it's worth noting that the Cavaliers still haven't re-signed James Harden, and it's mid-August. And while Cleveland and Harden will surely agree to terms any day now, acquiring Watson is a much more up-in-the-air endeavor for the Cavs.
Not only is Watson coveted by plenty of other teams, but Cleveland might not even be able to get into position to get him if Strus and/or Schröder prove immobile on the market.
It's not a good time for the Cavs to be looking for trade partners
At this point in the offseason, most teams have already used up whatever flexibility they had and are set with their roster situations. Strus will be more attractive to suitors because of his expiring deal, but $16.7 million for one season is still a sizeable chunk of cap space to absorb for anyone.
It might be too late in the transaction cycle for the Cavaliers to acquire Watson, which is a shame. At 6-foot-8 with elite athleticism and length, he's just the type of big, fringe-star wing that Cleveland has lacked during the Donovan Mitchell era.
Why did the Cavs wait so long to try and move Schröder and Strus? The answer is LeBron James
The only logical explanation for why Cleveland didn't get to work on trading Schröder and Strus earlier in the offseason is that the Cavs were holding out for LeBron James. Had they landed James on the type of minimum deal he took with the Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland wouldn't have felt the need to go after Watson, and thus wouldn't be in desperate need to trade Schröder or Strus.
You can say that LeBron messed up Cleveland's offseason, or you can be more reasonable about the situation and realize that the Cavs' front office didn't get to work on its contingency plan with nearly enough urgency.
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