Roster flexibility does not usually get much coverage on its own, but the most recent destination of Cavaliers guard Dennis Schroder is now more of a joke than a business deal in the eyes of NBA fans.
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NBA insider Shams Charania tweeted that the Cavaliers had traded Schroder and cash to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for guard Tre Mann, with Charlotte acquiring an “established veteran point guard” with experience playing alongside Hornets’ president Jeff Peterson and coach Charles Lee in Atlanta.
This dates back to the time when Schroder was a rookie with the Hawks from 2013 to 2018, and Peterson and Lee were still part of the organization. Both teams reportedly took almost two months negotiating the deal.
This deal will save Cleveland around $29.7 million below the first tax apron and $42.3 million below the second one, thus creating space for the team in its effort to sign James Harden and other players.
The 32-year-old brings career averages of 13.7 points, 4.9 assists and 2.9 rebounds to a Charlotte team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2016, the longest active postseason drought in the league, while Mann heads to Cleveland after averaging just 5.5 points across 53 games last season.
That well-traveled résumé is exactly what fans couldn’t stop talking about online.
Fans Turn Dennis Schröder’s Trade Into a Franchise-Count Joke
The bigger storyline for fans had nothing to do with cap sheets. It centered on Schröder himself, now on his 12th franchise in 14 seasons, and social media wasted no time turning the trade into a running joke.
“Almost halfway to the entire league,” said a fan.
Schroder is now set to suit up for his 12th different NBA franchise across 14 seasons, putting him just one team shy of Ish Smith’s all-time record of 13 teams played for. That number alone accounts for more than a third of the league’s 30 franchises, making the joke land harder given how frequently he keeps changing addresses.
Another wrote, “At this point, he should make it a challenge to play for every NBA team before he retires and collect every jersey.”
This reaction builds on the same pattern, since Schroder has now been traded nine times in his career, the second-most trades for any player in NBA history. With several playable seasons likely still ahead of him, given his durability, fans see a real path toward him eventually testing Smith’s franchise record.
“Bro is just getting passed around the league,” read another reaction.
Schroder currently sits as the active leader in most franchises played for, a title he inherited after Garrett Temple, who suited up for 12 teams, retired from playing to join the Mavericks coaching staff. That shift left Schroder without much competition at the top of the active list this offseason.
A user commented, “Think he’s going for a world record.”
Ish Smith holds the official NBA record after playing for 13 different franchises across a 14-year career, including stops with the Rockets, Grizzlies, Warriors, and Thunder, among others. Schroder is now within a single trade of matching that mark, and given his continued role as a rotation-caliber guard, fans view the record as genuinely within reach.
“Journeyman” was another reaction.
The tag captures something real about his career arc too. Schroder has now played for 12 franchises across 14 seasons, yet he has still played 60 or more games in multiple of those seasons, showing that constant movement has rarely affected his availability on the floor.
Whether Schroder chases the record or not, Charlotte now becomes the newest stop in one of the most well-traveled careers the NBA has seen in recent memory.