The Cleveland Cavaliers are have acquired De’Andre Hunter from the Atlanta Hawks, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. Cleveland will send out Caris LeVert, Georges Niang, three second-round picks and two first-round swaps in the deal.
Hunter was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft and landed in Atlanta on a draft night trade. A 6-foot-8 forward who specializes in shooting, Hunter has averaged 14.8 points for his career and is having his best season as a professional this year at 19 points per game. That success is coming on several levels offensively. He is shooting a career-best 39.3% from 3-point range this season while also setting career-highs in 2-point field goal percentage and free-throw rate. While Hunter’s defense has been inconsistent as a professional, he has good positional size and should be able to fit in well enough on a winning roster.
Cleveland obviously fits the bill. At 41-10, the Cavaliers are firmly in control of the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, but they have been looking for wing depth for years now. This season, they’ve largely cultivated it. They are 30-5 with Dean Wade on the floor this season, but his history of injuries limits the amount of minutes he can play. Isaac Okoro is their younger, defensive-minded option at small forward, and Hunter would be the offensive side of that coin. With Max Strus also in place, Cleveland has a deep and versatile group of role players it can put in between Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
The Hawks, meanwhile, have cratered with star forward Jalen Johnson sidelined for the remainder of the season due to injury. They are 1-9 in their last 10 games, and with Hunter now gone as well, their once stellar group of young wings has been thinned dramatically. Losing doesn’t help the Hawks, as San Antonio controls their first-round pick, but Hunter has two more years left on his contract. This deal allows the Hawks to save money there that can be redirected elsewhere.
An important component of this deal is financial. The Cavaliers have ducked the luxury tax with this trade. Considering how much more punitive the repeater tax becomes starting next season, delaying their tax clock mattered quite a bit. As Cleveland is below the first apron, the Cavaliers are free to sign anyone available on the buyout market if they want to find more depth.
The Cavaliers were already the best team in the Eastern Conference, but they didn’t rest on the laurels at the trade deadline. Now they’re even scarier as the playoffs approach.
