Cleveland Cavaliers Executive Opens Up About De'Andre Hunter Trade

The Cleveland Cavaliers knew they would have some tough decisions to make with the team in  the NBA trade daedline rapdily approach

On late Friday night, the Cavaliers pulled off a trade that sent De'Andre Hunter to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Keon Ellis and Dennis Schröder.

There's a lot to unpack with this single move. For example, what moving on from Hunter does for Cleveland's payroll implications moving forward, and how the two new players will fit with the Cavaliers' roster.

Shortly after the deal was made official and announced by the team, Cleveland's President of Basketball Operations, Koby Altman, released a statement explaining the trade and offering some insight. 

"After careful evaluation and a clearer view of the Eastern Conference landscape, we believe adding Dennis and Keon strengthens our depth, expands our flexibility, and positions us to keep building a Championship caliber team now and into the future," said Altman.

As Altman mentions, this trade will certainly help Cleveland's depth and add some important pieces come playoff time.

Schröder will give the Cavaliers more depth at point guard, which was needed given all the injuries, especially to Darius Garland. On the other hand, Ellis is among the more underrated perimeter defenders in the game.

Altman also made sure to give Hunter praise for everything he brought to the organization in the year he spent in Cleveland, and also wished Luke Travers the best of luck shortly after he was waived to make additional room on the roster.

"In a season defined by its parity, this move better aligns us for a deeper postseason run. I'm thankful as well to De'Andre, who made an immediate impact upon his arrival to Cleveland and represented the Cavaliers with class. We appreciate everything he did for us both on and off the court, and we wish him the best in Sacramento. We drafted Luke in 2022 and have seen his development improve each year and thank him for his contributions to the franchise."

It's disappointing that Hunter didn't work out in Cleveland after he seemed like the missing piece when the Cavaliers added him last year.

However, Altman was able to get off Hunter's contract, while still adding to playoff-ready pieces in one move, which should definitely help the Cavaliers in the postseason this srpingl 

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