The Cleveland Cavaliers just traded Dennis Schroder to the Charlotte Hornets for Tre Mann. It seems as though the deal was primarily made to help the Cavaliers duck further below the second apron, giving them more flexibility to re-sign James Harden. But if they are already making decisions to avoid the second apron, it’s a sign that the Donovan Mitchell era has been a failure, and it will probably end as a failure.
Plenty of teams around the league have made second-apron decisions. Three, to be exact: The Oklahoma City Thunder, Boston Celtics, and New York Knicks. But all three of those teams have had success before they started making decisions. The Cavs have not. And they’re already selling. That’s not a good sign.
Other teams have made some smaller moves, but the Cavaliers are really pressed up against the second apron. And rather than bite the bullet for a bit, they’re trying to avoid it. Without a championship backing that decision. The Mitchell era is looking bleak.
Dennis Schroder trade marks beginning of end of Donovan Mitchell era
Since Mitchell joined the Cavaliers in 2022, they haven’t had enough success. They have made one Eastern Conference finals appearance – last year – but they got swept by the New York Knicks.
Yet as they are at the culmination of their roster-building efforts, with a ton of expensive players on the roster in an attempt to win, they are still failing to get over the hump.
And rather than keep pushing forward, they are scaling back. Schroder played real minutes for them in the postseason last year. Mann didn’t even get real minutes in Charlotte last season. It’s a clear downgrade for the sake of money.
New York had to let Mitchell Robinson walk. Boston blew up its championship roster. OKC traded three players in salary dumps this summer. But all three of those teams won titles before avoiding the second apron.
The Cavaliers couldn’t even do that. They are ducking the second apron without getting the benefits of having a championship team that’s too expensive to keep pushing forward.
By that measure, the Mitchell era has been a failure. They spent all this money to make it work and haven’t been able to. And the Schroder deal is the first true example of that harsh reality.
And barring a major surprise next year, it seems as though this deconstruction is only going to continue in the coming seasons. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but the Mitchell era in Cleveland may already be co
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