Dennis Schroder is packing again. The Cleveland Cavaliers shipped the veteran point guard to the Charlotte Hornets on Friday for guard Tre Mann and cash considerations, and the German is now on his 12th NBA franchise.
One more stop and he ties the all-time record. Ish Smith owns that mark at 13 teams, and Schroder is running out of new cities faster than anyone expected when he broke in with the Hawks back in 2013.
This is also his ninth career trade, which puts him second all time behind Trevor Ariza’s 11. Schroder has quietly become the most well-traveled guard of his generation, and at 32 years old he is nowhere near done playing.
The deal itself makes sense for both sides. Cleveland saves roughly $6.8 million by swapping Schroder’s $14.8 million salary for Mann’s $8 million cap hit. Those are meaningful dollars for a Cavs team staring down the second apron and trying to keep flexibility for a bigger move.
Charlotte gets a legitimate backup point guard behind Coby White. Schroder still averages a shade under 14 points and 5 assists for his career, and he can start in a pinch if injuries hit. For a rebuilding roster with LaMelo Ball’s health always in question, that is real insurance.
The Cavs are the more interesting team in this deal. Moving Schroder without getting back a rotation upgrade tells you Koby Altman is not done. Cleveland has been quietly linked to bigger names all summer, and this feels like clearing a runway rather than an ending point.
For Schroder, the story keeps writing itself. Hawks, Thunder, Lakers, Rockets, Celtics, Lakers again, Raptors, Nets, Warriors, Pistons, Kings, Cavs, and now Hornets. He has played in every corner of the league, been part of a championship rotation with Boston, and somehow keeps finding a market every single summer.
The Ish Smith record is going to fall. Schroder is under contract for this season and he has never shown any signs of slowing down as a scorer or playmaker. If Charlotte ever gets desperate at the deadline and moves him to a contender, that would be team 13 and history.
Whether he actually breaks it depends on if any team decides to lock him down long term. Nobody has yet. At this point, Schroder being available every February feels like a permanent NBA feature. Give the man his own suitcase emoji.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
