CLEVELAND, Ohio — The [Cavs’ acquisition of Dennis Schröder and Keon Ellis](https://www.cleveland.com/cavs/2026/02/report-cavs-trade-deandre-hunter-to-kings.html) represents a targeted strike at the team’s most glaring weaknesses.
In a revealing discussion on the latest Wine and Gold Talk Podcast, cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor and host Ethan Sands unpack how this trade isn’t just about moving on from De’Andre Hunter — it’s about fundamentally strengthening the Cavs’ championship aspirations.
The podcast highlights how the Cavaliers’ front office executed a trade addressing their most pressing needs: playmaking and perimeter defense.
“The couple areas that we have talked about so much throughout the course of this year, point of attack defense and playmaking, shot creation. And they got both of those things with this particular trade,” Fedor explained during the conversation.
With Darius Garland missing time and Donovan Mitchell shouldering an enormous offensive burden, the Cavaliers desperately needed another ball-handler. Schröder provides an immediate solution to that problem.
“Dennis Schröder is a veteran point guard. Dennis Schröder is a stable veteran point guard that can organize your offense, get you into sets, bring the ball up against pressure,” Fedor detailed. “And he has a relationship with Kenny Atkinson.”
That existing relationship with head coach Atkinson could prove critical for quick integration. According to Fedor, Atkinson was “very excited about this deal” based on their previous work together in Atlanta.
While Schröder brings steady playmaking, Ellis addresses the Cavaliers’ defensive issues.
Sands highlighted Ellis’s defensive metrics on the podcast, noting that “Sacramento opponents were turning the ball over 17.1% of their possessions when Keon Ellis was on the floor. That marks in the 92nd percentile in the NBA.”
Beyond their on-court skills, both players bring an element the Cavaliers have been lacking: playoff-tested toughness. This aspect of the trade could prove most valuable come postseason time.
“Dennis Schröder has played more than 70 playoff games in his career. That matters,” Fedor emphasized. “The Cavs looked at that. And being a World Cup MVP and having all these different accolades that he has from his national team experience, that matters to the Cavs because they’re looking for guys who are ready to help them when it comes to springtime.”
The podcast discussion reveals how the Cavaliers aren’t just addressing regular-season deficiencies — they’re building a roster designed to overcome playoff obstacles. Schröder’s experience in high-pressure situations could prove invaluable for a relatively young Cavaliers core that has struggled in previous postseasons.
Ellis, meanwhile, gives the Cavaliers additional defensive versatility and three-point shooting, with Sands noting his approximately 40% career mark from beyond the arc.
Perhaps most significantly, this trade alleviates pressure on Mitchell, allowing him to focus more on scoring rather than organizing the entire offense.
As Fedor explained, Ellis can also take on difficult defensive assignments, meaning “that doesn’t have to be Donovan Mitchell’s responsibility, and he takes some of the pressure and some of the burden off of Donovan from that standpoint.”
For Cavaliers fans seeking deeper insights into how Schröder and Ellis might transform the team’s playoff chances, the full Wine and Gold Talk Podcast episode offers a fascinating breakdown of this potentially season-altering move. Tune in to hear Chris Fedor and Ethan Sands’ complete analysis of Cleveland’s new-look roster.
Here’s the podcast for this week: