This Dennis Schroder mock trade returns a wing with several years of team control

The Dennis Schroder trade rumors have hit the Boston Celtics news cycle like a prime Mike Tyson uppercut in recent weeks.

Chris Forsberg believes it’s only a matter of time before Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens will cash in on his undervalued asset–assuming the Cs continue on their current trajectory–while HH has been busy figuring out both landing spots and potential return pieces in any such deal.

It makes sense as to why Schroder’s name is mentioned so much. As someone who once sought out a contract north of nine figures, the German floor general could eventually hunt for extra dollars via massive performances down the stretch of the 2021-22 season.

That’d be defying his role as the primary facilitator of the ‘Jays’, though, and may well give Celtics fans nightmares of Schroder and Marcus Smart taking turns playing hero ball during important seeding games during the season’s final months.

So today, the Houdini figured we’d craft a deal that brings back a guy more willing to take a backseat, while also shipping out an oft-used reserve that could be better off on a team not shy on finding minutes for big men:

Why the Boston Celtics do it

If the Cs are to cash in on their expiring point guard, they need to aim reasonably. Cedi Osman has a modest ceiling, but he aims to fit in rather than standout. Next to the ‘Jays’, that attitude could lead to success in a tertiary role.

Osman’s 3-point shot (43% on 5.8 attempts per game) makes him a lethal catch-and-shoot option off the bench. The Turkish forward is having his most efficient season from the field, and is under team control for two more seasons after this one.

Why the Cleveland Cavaliers do it

J.B. Bickerstaff seems to love playing guards and bigs but has less interest in wings. That strategy has created a capable defensive team that wins games by smothering opponents and keeping the score low.

Cleveland is one of eight teams scoring under 105 points per game, but of those teams they own the best record. Dennis Schroder would be a nice supplement for a team missing Collin Sexton for the rest of the 2021-22 season.

He’d fit alongside Darius Garland and Ricky Rubio in two guard sets and add scoring to the #24th best team in that category.