The Cleveland Cavaliers lost the De'Andre Hunter trade. And they are having their noses rubbed in it as they were stuck with the No. 29 pick instead of the 23rd pick they should have had.
The idea of trading for De'Andre Hunter made a lot of sense. The Cavaliers had the best record in the Eastern Conference, ending up with 64 wins. They were a legitimate contender to win the East and reach the NBA Finals. And they had a significant need on the roster for a combo forward.
The roster was built up with small guards and towering bigs, but the middle of the lineup had long been a weak spot for Cleveland. They hit the trade market looking for a solution to that problem, and landed on Atlanta Hawks forward De'Andre Hunter, a supposed 3-and-D forward who shot at a high volume and defended multiple positions.
De'Andre Hunter trade was a flop
Unfortunately, Hunter flopped in Cleveland. He shot just fine, but he couldn't manage much else on offense, and he was eaten alive defensively and on the glass. Hunter couldn't survive defending wings and he couldn't bang around inside with opposing bigs. The Indiana Pacers punked him in the playoffs, and his following regular season was not much better. Cleveland finally traded him away in what amounted to a salary dump at the 2026 deadline.
The players that the Cavaliers gave up in the deal won't make them feel regret; Georges Niang has barely been playable as an NBA player since the deal, and Caris LeVert signed a lucrative new contract and was fine for the Detroit Pistons this year.
The primary assets were the two first-round pick swaps that the teams agreed to. Perhaps it seemed that it didn't matter, as Cleveland was likely to finish with a better record than the Hawks. But the way that the trade was worded, the Hawks were able to swap the Cavaliers down to the Spurs' pick at No. 29, while they moved back up to 23 (and the Spurs took the Hawks' original pick at 20).
That stung for the Cavaliers, as they had to sit at 29 as each and every player they coveted went off the draft board. Jayden Quaintance, Tarris Reed, Chris Cenac, all gone.
Cavaliers missed out
Cleveland made the decision to pack it up and go home, trading out of 29 and allowing the Sacramento Kings to trade in and take their guy. UConn's Alex Karaban will head to California and join DeAndre Hunter on the Kings. Cleveland will wait until the second round to make a pick.
Things may have been different if they had the No. 23 pick instead. As it is, they traded out, and joy will be delayed.
Hunter is long gone, dumped on the Kings for an overpaid point guard in Dennis Schroder and a string-bean wing in Keon Ellis who is likely to walk in free agency. Hardly a recouping of the lost assets.
What is left is regret, for what could have been, for what should not have been.
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