Meleek Thomas Gives Cavaliers More Reasons To Trade Dennis Schroder

After Meleek Thomas’ excellent showing for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Summer League, it’s the right time to continue trimming the salary within the team.

At the top of the list is veteran guard Dennis Schroder, whom the Cavs are looking to let go after acquiring him from the Sacramento Kings at the NBA trade deadline in February. Last offseason, the Kings inked the German to a three-year, $45 million deal. He's about to enter the second season of that contract, where he'd be set to make a base salary of just under $15 million.

Since his arrival, Schroder has exclusively come off the bench and provided minutes to give the starters a rest, but really hasn’t been that veteran guide or energy guy who can pull the strings when needed.

And since selecting Thomas with the 34th pick in this year’s NBA Draft, the Cavs have picked their time to see how the rookie would do during the Summer League, and now, after Thomas’ solid showings, letting go of Schroder is almost a certainty.

Thomas’ explosive scoring bursts will play well off the bench

The Cavaliers want to open up apron flexibility to clear team salary. Moving Schröder clears his nearly $15 million base salary does that, and in his place, you have an eager, hungry rookie desperate to impress. And Thomas has made a superb start to life with the Cavs thanks to his terrific offensive displays in Las Vegas.

The 19-year-old exploded for back-to-back 30-point games against the Detroit Pistons and the Miami Heat, and on his debut, poured in 20 points against the Indiana Pacers.

Thomas’ offensive prowess has shone through amid the scorching heat of Vegas, and it will serve the Cavs well when the regular season begins, as he is confident in his ability, and he will more than likely be coming off the bench in an almost like-for-like situation for Schroder.

While Thomas has been putting up numbers in the Summer League, the 32-year-old Schroder spent the early part of July playing for Germany in the FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifiers, bagging back-to-back 20-point and nine-assist games against Israel and Cyprus – both wins.

But with Thomas, the Cavs will get what they wanted Schroder for, but a better scorer – and a younger player.

What Thomas will need to work on

The name of the game is to put the ball in the basket, and Thomas has been doing that. However, he needs to remember that basketball is a team sport, with his 30 and 35-point games in his last two games coming on a whopping 47 shots.

The need to impress is always on a rookie’s mind when he hits the floor for the Summer League, but when it comes to the regular season, he will not be needed to put up as many field goal attempts, and the defensive side of his game will be needed more when he joins the squad.

Thomas will need to adjust, but he looks ready for the challenge.

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