According to reports, the Charlotte Hornets are trading Tre Mann to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Dennis Schroder and some cold hard cash.
It’s not quite the needle mover trade like we saw earlier in the offseason when LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges were sent away, but I’m sure people will have feelings about it. Tre Mann looked like he was poised for a breakout at the beginning of the 2024-25 season before a back issue cut his season extremely short. He never found that form in the 2025-26 season and fell so far that he was a tremendously negative player for the whole of the season. On the whole, the Hornets were 17.2 points per 100 possessions worse in Mann’s minutes on the floor than they were in his minutes on the bench.
It’d be unfair to write Mann off for last season’s struggles. I’m sure with more time to get past whatever ailed his back a couple of seasons ago will allow him to regain some of his moxie if he’s provided the time and space to do so. He’s only 25, so there’s still a lot of ball left to be played.
Coming back to Charlotte is Dennis Schroder. who checks another box in his unintended quest to suit up for every NBA team. The Hornets will be Schroder’s 12th team across 13 different stints (he played two different stints with the Lakers). He’s not a wow player by any means, but he serves a very particular purpose. He’s a good facilitator off the bench who can also generate paint touches and get to the free throw line. He’s not a very efficient scorer from the field nor is he an elite defender, but if he were all those things, he wouldn’t be a backup guard.
With all of the shooters the Hornets have acquired, they needed a guard that could penetrate and open up looks for those shooters off the bench. Schroder will bring that. He’ll be a big upgrade to the guard depth compared to what Mann was last year.
Off the floor, I’m sure some will grimace at the contract, though it’s a lot lighter than it looks at first glance. He’s in the second year of a three year deal that’s set to him pay him about $30 million over the next two seasons. However, only $4.35 million is guaranteed next year, so his contract is effectively expiring after this season if the Hornets want it to with little penalty.
