Cavaliers acquire De’Andre Hunter from Hawks

Cavaliers acquire De’Andre Hunter from Hawks

The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired De’Andre Hunter from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Caris LeVert, Georges Niang and multiple second-round picks, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported Thursday, roughly one hour ahead of the 2024-25 NBA Trade Deadline.

The Atlanta Hawks are trading forward De'Andre Hunter to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Caris LeVert, Georges Niang, three second-round picks and two swaps, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/5fpE4LJzpK

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 6, 2025

Throughout the last several weeks, the Cavaliers were searching for an extra 3-and-D wing to fit alongside Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. Now, they got their guy with Hunter, who’s having the best season of his career up to this point.

Through 37 games, the Hawks’ sixth man was averaging 19.0 points on 46.1 percent shooting and a career-high 39.3 percent from 3-point range, in addition to 3.9 rebounds across 28.8 minutes per game. It remains to be seen if starts for Cleveland. Either way, he offers a great scoring punch and can now lean into more of his defense with his length at 6-foot-8, 225 pounds.

2024-25 NBA Trade Deadline Tracker

Hunter will be on the books for $48 million after 2024-25, this is a great move for Cleveland. While he reunited with head coach Kenny Atkinson, LeVert was having an inconsistent season while Niang was having another great 3-point shooting season.

This deal also pushes the Hawks above the luxury tax, according to HoopsHype’s Yossi Gozlan. So we’ll see if they have another trick up the sleeve before the deadline ends.

The current framework would have the Atlanta Hawks going $2.1 million above the luxury tax by acquiring Caris LeVert and Georges Niang.

They also need to create a roster spot before doing a 2-for-1. I expect them to have something else lined up.

— Yossi Gozlan (@YossiGozlan) February 6, 2025

On a more positive note, LeVert’s $16.6 million will be coming off the books next year while Niang will have an $8.2 million expiring next season, according to Spotrac. Thus clearing the books for Atlanta as they potentially pivot into a new build–regardless of Trae Young‘s future status.

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This is a breaking news story. Stay tuned for updates!

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