Dennis Schröder has went through a whirlwind over the past few years and that’s putting it lightly.
The veteran guard played for five different franchises over the past two seasons and he was traded once again on Friday when the Cavaliers sent him to the Hornets for Tre Mann in an effort to clear salary. The latest trade marks the ninth time Schröder has been traded if you count his sign-and-trade from the Pistons to the Kings which occurred last summer.
Although trade after trade may make it seem like Schröder is expendable, he’s anything but. Brooklyn traded him to Golden State and then the Warriors dealt him to Detroit around the 2025 trade deadline, which eventually aided the Pistons’ postseason push. After the sign-and-trade to Sacramento last offseason, the Kings sent him to Cleveland at the deadline in February as a solid bench option throughout the Cavs’ run to the Eastern Conference finals.
In Charlotte, he brings a reliable bench guard behind Coby White, who the franchise committed to with a three-year, $74 million contract this offseason as the Hornets pivoted away from LaMelo Ball. Behind White, Mann and Christian Anderson—the 18th pick of the June draft—made up the previous guard depth for the young team that’s building around Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel. Schröder gives Charles Lee’s group a veteran presence who can initiate offense in a calming fashion which gives the young players more leeway to make inevitable mistakes. The addition is especially beneficial for Anderson, who will now have more time to transition to the NBA as a 20-year-old guard out of Texas Tech.
MORE: Why Cavaliers’ Trade of Dennis Schröder to Hornets Is More Significant Than It Seems
All the positives that Schröder brings to an NBA roster doesn’t change the fact that him and his family have been put through the ringer, though. When he steps on the floor for the Hornets, he will have played for 12 different franchises and his seventh since the 2023–24 season tipped off.
Dennis Schröder’s 12th NBA team puts him on the verge of history
Longtime backup point guard Ish Smith has played for the most NBA franchises of any player with 13. Over his 14-year career, the longest consecutive stint he had with one team was three straight seasons with the Pistons from 2016 to '19. Of his 805 career games, he only reached 100 games with two teams: Detroit and Washington.
Once Schröder suits up for Charlotte, he will tie five other players for the second most teams played for. He currently has two seasons left on his contract at $14.8 million next year and $15.5 million in 2027–28 when he will be 34 years old. Only $4.4 million of Schröder’s salary is guaranteed next year, which makes him a trade candidate should Charlotte wish to get off his salary in a year’s time to improve the roster elsewhere and carve out more minutes for Anderson.
Should the Hornets part ways with the well-traveled veteran at some point over the next two seasons, he could tie Smith for the most franchises played for in NBA history. Here’s a look at each player who has suited up for 11 or more different teams:
| Player | No. of NBA teams played for | Career span |
|---|---|---|
| Ish Smith | 13 | 2011–24 |
| Chucky Brown | 12 | 1990–2002 |
| Jim Jackson | 12 | 1993–2006 |
| Tony Massenburg | 12 | 1991–2005 |
| Joe Smith | 12 | 1996–2011 |
| Garrett Temple | 12 | 2010–26 |
| Dennis Schröder | 11 (12 once he plays for Hornets) | 2014–present |
| D.J. Augustin | 11 | 2009–22 |
| Jeff Green | 11 | 2008–present |
| Mike James | 11 | 2002–14 |
| Kevin Ollie | 11 | 1998–2010 |
| Anthony Tolliver | 11 | 2009–21 |
What NBA player has been traded the most times?
Friday marked the ninth time Schröder was traded and the sixth since 2024. He would still need to get traded a couple more times to own the prestiguous honor of the most-traded player in NBA history. Trevor Ariza was traded 11 times over his 18-year career. He played for 10 different franchises, with the longest runs coming with the Rockets, Wizards and Lakers.
During the 2020 offseason, he was traded three different times. Portland traded him to Houston, who then dealt him to Detroit before the Pistons sent him to the Thunder a few days later. Ariza never reported to the Thunder as he was away from the team due to personal reasons. Oklahoma City then traded him to the Heat at the 2021 trade deadline.
With Schröder’s ninth trade, he becomes the second-most traded player in NBA history.
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